Sunday, June 08, 2003
-Patenting Life?
The Society of St Columban, a Catholic Missionary Society with HQ in Ireland, has launched an international campaign against the patenting of life, specifically against Article 27.3(b) of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a World Trade Organization agreement.
I have a chapter on the patenting of life taken from a forthcoming book on genetic engineering by Sean McDonagh which I will send to anyone who wants it. It is in English and is in Microsoft Word format. The Japanese version will be published this month in a book by Amagasa Keisuke (and others) on genetic engineering, with an abbreviated version published as a booklet.
Paul McCartin
IS IT ETHICAL TO PATENT LIFE?
CAN A CORPORATION OWN LIFE?
Some Questions Raised by the Patenting of Life
Life, once considered sacred and a gift from God in almost all religions and cultures, is now treated as a human invention. Life is now a collection of chemicals and genes that can be engineered and bought and sold. The corporate mentality sees living organisms as commodities to be exploited for profit. The diversity of life is under threat as never before. Vital human needs, such as food and medecine, are increasingly under the control of a few corporations which are rushing to patent the genes of seeds and genes that cause disease. If a corporation can isolate the genes that cause diseases like AIDS, for example, and then develop a treatment for the disease, the corporation stands to make lots of money. The patenting of living organisms raises new questions for people concerned about the environment, health, agriculture, North-South issues and biotechnology.
Genetically Modified Crops Will Contaminate Traditional Crops ...
Percy Schmeizer is a Canadian canola farmer. Several years ago SchmeizerÕs neighbor planted a variety of canola that contained Monsanto’s Roundup-resistant gene. Schmeizer says some of the seed blew over to his 700-acre canola field and spread, contaminating with foreign genes seed he had been saving since he started producing the crop in 1947.
.... and the Farmer of Traditional Crops May Be Held Legally Responsible!
Moreover, Monsanto sued Schmeizer, claiming he was violating its intellectual property rights for growing a kind of rapeseed that contained its patented gene. A provincial court has ruled for the company, declaring that regardless of how the gene found its way onto his land, Canadian patent law provides that he is violating patent rights by growing it. (Schmeizer will be speaking in Japan late June-July, 2003.)
Seeds Will Belong to Corporations
The patenting of seeds will give enormous economic power to a small number of agribusiness corporations. They sell their wares on the global market and they will not be cheap. The insect-resistant maize hybrid produced by Pioneer Hi-Breed requires access to 38 different patents controlled by 16 different patent holders. In addition, farmers will be forced to pay royalties on succeeding generations of plants and animals that they buy or produce. It will be illegal to save seeds from the previous harvest without permission and payment. This will make farmers totally dependent on transnational agribusiness corporations. The impact on Third World countries will be devastating. It will institutionalise the dependence of Southern agriculture on Northern agribusiness corporations. As a result, instead of feeding the hungry in the South as the agribusiness corporations claim, the new situation could create food shortages and famine.
Stealing Genetic Resources from the Third World
In West Africa the brazzein berry is renowned for its sweetness. This berry is much sweeter than sugar and unlike other non-sugar sweeteners it does not lose its taste when it is heated. This makes it ideal for the sugar-free food industry which is worth about $100 billion a year. A U.S. researcher from the University of Wisconsin who saw people and animals eating the berry applied for a U.S. and European patent on the protein isolated from the berry. The drive to create a genetically engineered organism to produce brazzein is under way. This will eliminate the need to grow the berry in West Africa.
Most people would consider it totally bizarre for the University to claim that brazzein is an invention of a UW-Madison researcher. There are no plans to share any of the benefits of the discovery with the people of West Africa who nurtured this plant for generations. The knowledge, innovation and efforts of these people is neither acknowledged nor rewarded.
Stealing the DNA of Indigenous People
The Hagahai people of Papua New Guinea first made contact with the ‘outside’ world in 1984. They were exposed to many new diseases and decided to make contact with a foreign researcher who brought them vital inoculations which saved their lives. But at the same time he took samples of their DNA and shipped them to the USA. On establishing that the Hagahai seemed immune to leukaemia and some other diseases, US researchers took out a US patent on the genetic qualities of a Hagahai individual. The people from whom this blood was taken knew nothing about it. (This patent was later rescinded because of international criticism.)
Charging Exorbitant Fees for Medical Tests
An American company which has ‘patented’ two human genes for breast cancer screening demanded that publicly funded British laboratories pay the company royalties each time they perform a genetic test for these genes. The American company charges twice what the laboratories charge.
Hindering Research
A poll of American laboratory directors found that a quarter of them had received letters from lawyers acting for biotechnology companies ordering them to stop carrying out clinical tests designed for Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer and an array of other disorders. A group of American doctors and scientists has issued a protest saying: “(t)he use of patents or exorbitant licensing fees to prevent physicians and clinical laboratories from performing genetic tests limits access to medical care, jeopardises the quality of medical care and unreasonably raises its costs.”
U.S. Imposing Its Patent System
The U.S., through the AGREEMENT ON TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (TRIPS) ? an agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ? especially Article 27.3(b), is trying to impose its patent system on the rest of the world. TRIPS needs to be rewritten in a way that protects human health, vulnerable subsistence farmers in the Third World, and also the environment. The main plank of such a review should be the affirmation that all living beings ought to be considered the common property of humanity and the Earth. The hypocrisy of the current TRIPS position is that it fails to protect the genetic resources of the South while at the same time facilitates the patenting of genetic resources which will benefit northern multinational corporations. This is not free-trade; rather, it is a ploy to create global monopolies.
For further information:
Paul McCartin at LIFE Japan
Kita-machi 9 - 11, Komagane, Nagano Prefecture 399 - 4111
Telephone 0265 - 82 - 6464
Fax 0265 - 81 - 0036
Email
-From International Green Network Japan
CONTENTS:
1. ACTION ALERT: SAVE VAST KOREAN WETLAND/TIDAL FLAT
2. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
3. IGN ECOSTUDY GROUP - FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2003
4. PGL2 ONLINE REGISTRATION STARTED
5. VEGETARIAN WEBSITES IN JAPAN
6. QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY STUDY
7. JAMBO JUNE EVENTS
8. ALISHAN/TENGU TID BITS
9. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL TOKYO
10. TELL’S 4TH ANNUAL CHARITY WALK/RUNATHON
11. MERCURY IN JAPANESE WHALE MEAT
12. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
13. DATABASE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS
14. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: PULSE MAGAZINE, FALL 2003
15. FOOD REPORT IN THE GUARDIAN
16. ORGANIC COTTON: AT LAST, FREEDOM FOR FARMERS
17. ABOUT WWOOF JAPAN
18. SPENCER KAGAN JAPAN TOUR UPDATE
19. INTRODUCING ECOSIG
20. FRIENDS OF THE EARTH HIKES IN JUNE
21. INFO ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK
22. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK ECOSTUDY GROUP
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1. ACTION ALERT: SAVE VAST KOREAN WETLAND/TIDAL FLAT
(from Richard Evanoff)
Forest Networking: a Project of Forests.org, Inc.
May 30, 2003 (current until June 6, 2003)
TAKE ACTION: Save Vast Korean Wetland/Tidal Flat
http://forests.org/emailaction/south_korea.htm
On June 5 the president of South Korea is expected to announce whether his
government will permit the destruction of one of the world’s most
ecologically important tidal flats. Saemangeum is a huge tidal flat and
wetland on Korea’s west coast. A government project seeks to destroy these
huge tidal flats and adjacent marine area by cutting it off with a 33
kilometer long dike/dam in order to undertake the largest land reclamation
project in the world.
Most South Korean citizens oppose this project, and it has been condemned
by environmental organizations worldwide. Religious leaders are only now
finishing a 350 kilometer “Three-steps-one-Bow” March. Every third step
they fall to their knees and bow their heads to the ground. They will reach
Seoul on May 31st, to be joined by a massive rally. June 5th is Environment
Day in Korea, and many expect President Roo Moo Hyun to say something about
Saemangeum. Please demand that the President cancel this poorly conceived
project by responding to this alert:
http://forests.org/emailaction/south_korea.htm
By Forests.org, Inc.
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2. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
(submitted by Richard Evanoff)
A Japanese activist and acquaintance of mine is looking for
volunteers who can help edit and rewrite material for the current campaign
to save the dugong, a sea mammal that lives in the waters off Okinanawa.
The dugong is threatened by the construction of a heliport by the U.S.
military. The Japanese organizers need volunteers who can help get
information about this campaign to people living in the U.S. and elsewhere
in English. If you can help, please contact
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. IGN ECOSTUDY GROUP - FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2003
DATE: Friday, June 13, 2003
TIME: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
PLACE: Aoyama Gakuin University, Shibuya (Tokyo) Campus, Building
#8, 3rd floor (10 minutes walk from Shibuya station; 5 minutes walk from
the Omote-sando subway station)
DIRECTIONS: Come in the main entrance to the university (with the
statue of John Wesley at the second floor level of the the building just to
the right), walk down the tree-lined walkway until you reach the chapel (on
your right). Building #8 is the next building after the chapel (between the
chapel and the library). Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. As soon as you
come out of the elevator follow the signs to the meeting room.
PRESENTER: Dan Wolf
TOPIC: “The Role of Personal Growth in the Political Realm”
FUTURE PRESENTATIONS:
July 11: Erik Kaye, “A System for Non-violent Confrontation, Part II”
August: Summer vacation—no meeting
September: Corinne Sutter, “Working Class Life”
David Loy has also volunteered to possibly give a presentation
sometime in the autumn and an invitation has also been extended to Hilary
Nicholson to do a presentation in the autumn if she can. Richard Evanoff’s
presentation “In Defense of Anarchism” will be postponed until there’s an
opening.
Richard Evanoff and Guy Exley serve as co-coordinators for the IGN
EcoStudy Group. If you would like to give a future presentation or have any
questions about the EcoStudy Group, please [see the end of this newsletter
and] contact Guy Exley at Azalea Garden B-108, 2-2-25 Mure, Mitaka-shi,
Tokyo 108-0002. Tel: 0422-72-0315. E-mail:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. PGL2 ONLINE REGISTRATION STARTED
(from Kikuchi Keiko)
The registration for the 2003 Peace as a Global Language conference
has started online and there’s a discount for registering early online!
Conference fee
3000 yen for two days (2000 yen for one day)
Students 800 yen for two days (400 yen per day)
< Onsite payment>
4000 yen for two days (2500 yen for 1 day)
Students 1000 yen for two days (500 yen per day)
Please go to our website and register!
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5. VEGETARIAN WEBSITES IN JAPAN
(from Richard Wilcox)
Here are some vegetarian websites with info on health and nutrition etc.
In Japanese:
http://www.jpvs.org/index.html
http://www.ivu.org/japanese/
http://www.san-iku.co.jp/
(this one’s got all the info on nutrition at:
http://www.san-iku.co.jp/knakamoto/knakamoto-index.htm)
and also English/Japanese site for veg’s in Japan
http://www.vegietokyo.com/
One more site below has quite a few links to healthy food
(organic, veg, macrobiotic, etc.)promoting sites.
http://allabout.co.jp/health/healthfood/subject/msub_naturalfood.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY STUDY
Belinda Woodhead, a post-graduate QUT university student, is undertaking an
online study of foreign women’s nutritional behaviours in the Tokyo area.
She would greatly appreciate your participation in this study to help with
the advancement of research in this area of womens` health in Japan. Please
send email to Belinda for information regarding how you can participate.
Also, please feel free to email any questions you may have regarding the
study. Email:
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7. JAMBO JUNE EVENTS
http://rocky71.hoops.livedoor.com
6/8 (Sunday) - Kamakura Hiking, Documentary movie, and Kamakura Beach
clean-up!
We will meet at the ticket gate of Kitakamakura Station (on the Yokosuka
Line) at 10:00AM.$B!!(BFrom Shinagawa Station, take the 9:14AM Tokaido
Line
train (arriving at Yokohama at 9:30) and change at Yokohama to the 9:34
Holiday Kamakura Express train. This arrives at Kitakamakura at 9:55AM
Hiking Course (about 7.5 Kilometers) - Ajisai (Hydrongea) Temple - Kenchoji
Temple - Han-sobo Sculpture Gardens - Suizenji
Temple (Should be a pretty easy hike)
1:30 PM - Documentary Movie - CHOMSKY - 9/11 Power and Terror
This film will show at the Kamakura Shougai Gakushuu Center Hall (a 1
minute walk from Kamakura’s East Ticket Gate). Advanced tickets are 800
and tickets bought on that day are 1000. Please call Ms. Furukawa
(0467-22-4997) for more information. The film is put on by Amnesty
International.
After the film, we will meet at Kamakura Station at 3:15 and go to the
beach for fun, clean-up, and to see the sunset. Cancelled in case of rain!
6/14 (Saturday) - 7:00 - 10:00 PM - Charity Party at Jambo International
Center (Takadanobaba) 1000, Please bring some snacks/drinks. The proceeds
will go to Mpumalanga Parks Board (SOUTH AFRICA), a group in South Africa
that works to protect the environment while, at the same time, promoting
the development of the local people.
6/15 (Sunday) - 10:00AM - 12:00 Noon at JAMBO International Center in
Takadanobaba - The monthly spirituality discussion group is for people who
are interested in talking about how to make their lives more spiritual and
joyous. It is informal, and today we will discuss “In 10 years, what kind
of life do you hope to have? How can you start moving there?” (PART II)
We’ll enjoy a potluck lunch after the discussion.
6/28 (Saturday) BIG Tomodachi Jamboree Party in Shibuya at Forum 8 on June
28 (Sat.) from 6:00 to 9:00pm. on the 3rd or the 5th Floor. About 100
people will attend. Find language exchange partners, international friends,
private students or teachers, homestays. Beer, wine, soft drinks and food
for Y2,000 w/reservations (Y2,500@door) Contact me (David) by 6/26 by email
if you want to make a reservation. Half of the each JAMBO member entrance
fee will go to Mpumalanga Parks Board (SOUTH AFRICA), a group in South
Africa that works to protect the environment while, at the same time,
promoting the development of the local people. You can find the map at
http://www.kokusaika.org/e/tomodachi.html or simply meet me at Hachiko (the
dog statue next to Shibuya Station) at 6:30PM.
6/29 (Sunday) - Ooyama (Big Mountain) Hiking Course (in Tanzawa) - Meet at
the Odakyuu Line’s Isehara Station’s Ticket Gate at 11:00 AM. From
Shinjuku, take the 10:01 Odakyuu Line Express train. This arrives at
Isehara at 10:58AM. From the station, we take a bus for about 30 minutes
and have a four and a half hour hike which has waterfalls, shrines,
temples, and views of Mt. Fuji (in nice weather).
Hope you’ll be able to join us for some of these events. The outdoor events
will be cancelled in case of rain. If you have any questions, call or fax
David at 03-5996-3687. My PHS number is 070-6612-9052. Or email me
().
Peace, Love, Joy and Laughter,
David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8. ALISHAN/TENGU TID BITS
Alishan Market Day May 17, 2003 - Report
A huge warm thanks to everyone that chanced the dark skies and came out to
enjoy the second (of many to come) Alishan Organic Market Day. Last year we
held our event in August, and thinking it was too hot opted to try our
second event in May. It was almost too cold (though it threatened, it never
did rain). Jack’s famous banana smoothy / drink bar was closed before it
even opened. Sales at the cafe of the hot dishes like Thai Curry, Veggie
style Chilli Con Carne and hot chai and coffee were “hot sellers”. Sunday
a regular cafe day was warmer and we sold mainly cold dishes. Oddly the
cold beer sold well on both days.
Outside we had 30 vendors ranging from Thai massage therapists to homemade
breads, jewellery, soaps, etc. One fresh made bagel baker sold over 400
bagels (pumpernickel etc.).
On the cafe deck we enjoyed the musical offerings of a number of talented
artists. I have to admit that life felt nearly perfect with children
running around, a warm cup of soy chai, and an acoustic guitar duo singing
Neil Young covers. We had a number of people say “Today felt like I’m not
in Japan.” It did feel nostalgic.
Hope to see more of you next time. Interested in being a vendor? Please
contact us. Especially craft makers.
For a QuickTime slide show or video (requires QuickTime 6+) via our
homepage. http://www.alishan-organic-center.com/en/news.html
Need Your Workplace Rights Explained?
The General Union, a union and NPO for both Japanese and non Japanese
workers. Their aim is to obtain fair and legal working conditions for
language teachers and other foreign workers in Japan. Have a problem with
your job? Contact them via their homepage.
http://www.generalunion.org
Cooking Classes
The Alishan cafe will begin cooking classes in June. Our first teacher will
be presenting South and North Indian Dishes. Learn things like uppma,
fresh roti breads that are easy to do on a single burner and desserts. The
first series will be 4 classes offered on every other Wednesday midday.
Y3,000/per class or Y10,000 for the full series. Anyone interested in
taking or teaching a class please contact Leon at
BOSSA NOVA AND JAZZ
In the Alishan cafe Saturday June 7th, April Perkinson (a professional)
presents an evening of Bossa Nova and Jazz. From16:30 - 20:30. No Table
charge. Contact us if you need directions or a map
Check out Jack’s June specials and everything else at:
http://www.alishan-organic-center.com/en/tengu/shop/index.htm
Komahongo 185-2, Hidaka Shi, Saitama Ken, 350-1251
ph.0429-82-4811, fax.0429-82-4813
http://www.alishan-organic-center.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL TOKYO
Reply-To:
If anyone would like to join amnesty international japan, we have an
english-speaking group (group 78) here in tokyo and there are some other
english-speaking groups elsewhere in the country and of course lots of
japanese-speaking groups too. please contact annette for
group 78. Other groups can be found through the [url=http://www.amnesty.org]http://www.amnesty.org[/url] webpage
under japan. The more we can do to increase numbers and participation, the
better.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10. TELL’S 4TH ANNUAL CHARITY WALK/RUNATHON
Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) thanks the 650 runners and walkers and all
the donors and volunteers who helped to make TELL’s Fourth Annual Runathon
on May 3 the best ever. Participation increased by nearly 100% over the
2002 Runathon, and the net income for TELL rose by 170%, to 2,500,000,
thanks to generous cooperation from all facets of the international
community. That income supports the work of TELL in providing free
telephone counseling and fee-based face-to-face counseling to all in need,
regardless of ability to pay.
TELL was founded in 1973 to provide telephone counseling in English.
Celebrating 30 years of service in 2003, it has expanded its telephone
counseling service (03-5774-0992) hours to 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Its clinicians
offer professional face-to-face counseling in English, Japanese, and French
as well as workshops and training programs for schools and other groups
(03-3498-0231). The only accredited, nonprofit counseling center serving
the international community in Japan, TELL’s goal is to provide
comprehensive mental health services. Thanks the success of the Fourth
Annual TELL Runathon, it is one step nearer that goal.
Photographs of the event are available for downloading at
http://homepage.mac.com/wordworker/
For further information, contact the TELL office (03-3498-0261;
) or External Communications chair Ruth McCreery
(045-314-9324;
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11. MERCURY IN JAPANESE WHALE MEAT
(from Richard Evanoff)
** PACKAGED WHALE MEAT IN JAPAN CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF MERCURY
An international moratorium on commercial whaling has been in place since
1986. But many people in Japan still consume cetaceans, particularly
toothed whales. New research suggests that eating these whale products may
have unexpected consequences. The findings indicate that packaged whale
meat in Japan contains dangerously high levels of mercury.
http://sciam.rsc03.net/servlet/cc?lJpDWZUEkKHOplFRpgDhkDqiE0EC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DUGONG CAMPAIGN
(submitted by Richard Evanoff)
A Japanese activist and acquaintance of mine is looking for
volunteers who can help edit and rewrite material for the current campaign
to save the dugong, a sea mammal that lives in the waters off Okinanawa.
The dugong is threatened by the construction of a heliport by the U.S.
military. The Japanese organizers need volunteers who can help get
information about this campaign to people living in the U.S. and elsewhere
in English. If you can help, please contact H. Takeuchi directly at
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
13. DATABASE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS
(from Kimiharu To
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Hi, this is Kimiharu To of Japan Environmental Education Forum(JEEF). On
behalf of the JEEF, I am pleased to announce the launching of our new
database site on organizations working in the area of neivornmental
education among East Asian countries. [url=http://www.jeef.or.jp/EAST_ASIA/index.html]http://www.jeef.or.jp/EAST_ASIA/index.html[/url]
This database has been developed as a part of the Japan Environmental
Education Forum’s international projects in order to assist educators,
associations, researchers, students, and others in understanding the
diversity of organizations, activities and perspectives in the area of
environmental education among the East Asian countries. As of April 2003,
there are approximately 100 entries representing 8 different nations in the
East Asia, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia,
Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh. By the end of FY2003, we plan to add
approximately 75 organizational data representing Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Laos,
and Papua New Guinea.
Since this site is not perfect one yet, we will keep on maintaining and
upgrading this site. So, if any of you would like to express concerns on
this site, such as advice, criticism or/and question, please kindly inform
us. We will try to incorporate them in timely manner after examining the
feasibility and plausibility.
Let’s hope our efforts in saving and restoring natural and cultural
diversities prevail for future generations.
JAPAN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FORUM
TWINZ bldg. 4th. Floor
Shinjuku 5-10-15, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
TEL.+81-3-3350-6770 FAX.+81-3-3350-7818
E-mail :
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14. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: PULSE MAGAZINE, FALL 2003
(from Planet Drum
The PULSE for Fall 2003 will tackle challenges to bioregionalism as a model
for political action and its relevance for social change. We want to
address three obstacles to broader acceptance of bioregional principles:
1. “real-world” economic and political boundaries;
2. bioregions in a changing biosphere;
3. urban living.
These “Hard Questions for Bioregionalism” are intended as areas for “edgy”
thought-provoking discussion to prime further thought and action.
PULSE is published for its members and relies on their initiative and
creativity for its content. Your submission can be any of the following:
personal account, interview with a remarkable individual, report on an
organization, announcement of an upcoming event or conference, book or
video review, recommended reading, suggested course of action, manifestos,
diatribes, stories, artwork, photos. Submissions should not exceed 2500
words. Deadlines for submission is August 1, 2003. Please send submissions
or direct any question via email or post:
Planet Drum Foundation
PO Box 31251
San Francisco, CA 94131
Please read below for more detailed descriptions of the “Hard Questions for
Bioregionalism.” We look forward to receiving your contribution to the next
edition of the PULSE.
“Hard Questions for Bioregionalism”
1. “Real-world” economic and political boundaries:?Bioregionalism implies
that historically arbitrary political boundaries should be replaced by
demarcations such as watershed, mountain range, and biotic community.
Presumably, that means challenging power structures and states. What are
ways that you confront the political impositions of county, state and
federal jurisdictions and economic pressures of multi-national corporate
rule? How are these political boundaries made visible on the landscape? Are
you taking action that directly challenges political boundaries that
disrupt or divide natural systems? How does bioregionalism affect political
practice and discourses of power? Are there pragmatic actions that can
actually alter bureaucratic structures to facilitate feedback on the
bioregional level?
2. Bioregions in a changing biosphere: The debate among climatologists is
no longer whether or not the climate is changing, but what will be the
eventual effects of global warming. The questions faced by bioregionalists
in regards to global warming are not only about how to decrease levels of
greenhouse emissions but also about how to respond to long-term climatic
changes that are already underway. Beyond Kyoto Protocols and alternative
energy, what does bioregionalism have to say about a changing biosphere?
How are you facing the realities of global warming and how do bring a
bioregional perspective to these global changes? What are the changes you
are witnessing in your local bioregion as a result of global warming and
climatic change? Are you noticing shifts in the biotic community where you
live? Are you seeing new species migrating from neighboring bioregions as
rainfall patterns, sea levels, and growing seasons change? How does a
changing biosphere affect our conceptual understanding of the bioregion? As
people begin to migrate/relocate in response to climatic changes such as
increased frequency of droughts or floods, what will happen to our
understanding of community and local culture?
3. Urban living: Call it bio-urbanity or eco-hip, there are a growing
number of city-dwellers who are applying notions of reinhabitation,
sustainability, and permaculture to the urban centers they’ve chosen to
reinhabit. The relevance of bioregionalism to urban living is continuously
called into question. Are you living bioregionally in the city? Are you an
urban pioneer or urban neohomesteader??~What is your style of
“reinhabitation” in the city? How do you bring a bioregional sensibility to
an urban setting? How can it be made more relevant to city-dwellers? Where
do you find “wildness”? What is the relationship of the city to the
bioregion where it is located? What does the bioregional principle of
“local culture” mean in terms of a cosmopolitan city? What are ways that
you?celebrate the emerging biourbanism? What is the bioregional role of
indy-media websites, community radio, zines, alternative newspapers,
community event/art spaces, etc?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15. FOOD REPORT IN THE GUARDIAN
(from Andrew Welford)
The Guardian newspaper in London recently published a series of articles on
food - where it comes from, how it gets to us, what’s in it, what it’s
doing to us…
Naturally it has a bit of a UK bias, but lots of interesting, useful and
frightening stuff.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/focus/0,13290,951051,00.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16. ORGANIC COTTON: AT LAST, FREEDOM FOR FARMERS
By Meena Menon (from The AgBioIndia Bulletin)
Anandrao Mukundrao Subedar from Tivsa village, Yavatmal district,
Maharashtra, is one of the pioneers of organic farming in Vidarbha. But
Subedar, one of the largest landholders in the district, was also the
largest user of chemicals and pesticides at one point. “I achieved
record-breaking yields of 14 quintals (one quintal= 100 kg)/acre in 1984.
We thought we had conquered all pests in cotton. Synthetic pyrethroids rid
us of the American bollworm but then we got the white fly. In 1985 we lost
all our cotton to white fly. It was an insect we had never even heard of
before. Our losses made us think and when we analysed the reasons,
obviously the rampant use of pesticides was the cause. Yields had come down
to 2-2.5 quintals/acre from an average of 6 q/acre,” he reminisced.
“We knew the answer was not to use chemicals. At that time we had no
options, not a single university could help us and even the Central
Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, was unable to give us any
advice,” he said.
“It was Fukuoka whose book revolutionised our way of thinking—here was
a man saying we could grow crops without any chemicals. Bharat Dabholkar
was also instrumental in changing my farming practices and after I met him,
in 1990, I decided not to use any chemicals. I want to repeat what
Dabholkar (one of the pioneers of non-chemical farming) has said, “The only
input we need is our grey cells.”
Now he farms 260 acres in Tivsa, 19 km from Yavatmal. Subedar loves to
experiment and to this day keeps growing several varieties of cotton to
select the best. “I found that high yields have no relationship with
chemicals or fertilisers—we can prove that on our field. The other trick
is to get a suitable variety of crop—we want an indeterminate type. And
the third factor affecting yield is the distance between two rows and two
plants. There must be room for cotton to grow.”
He grows sugarcane, banana and tuvar (lentil) but cotton is planted alone.
“In 2002, I planted cotton on 45 acres, of which 35 acres is rain-fed.” He
has grown 18 varieties in 2002 and wants to prove that not a single cotton
type requires spraying. Since 1990 he has stopped all chemicals and is in
search of a suitable variety of cotton. It has taken him five years to
stabilise the yield. Last year yields were 8 q/acre. He uses 30 kg cowdung,
30 litres cow urine and 300 litres of water along with black jaggery and
ferments it for five days. This solution is mixed in 20 times the amount of
water and sprinkled on the field.
The use of chemicals and pesticides is very high in this district and five
years ago Rs 100 crore was spent in this district alone. Now spraying is
considerably reduced and the amount spent on chemicals and pesticides has
come down to Rs 40 crore (estimates from various local farmers and dealers).
Subedar’s expenses for cotton are about Rs 4,000 per acre; it was double
that when he was using chemicals. Large landowners and rich farmers can
spend upto Rs 12-14,000 on chemicals and pesticides with about 20 sprays in
one season for cotton. Subedar and other large farmers like Om Prakash Mor
and Baburao Wankhede have inspired scores of farmers to stop using
chemicals in this region.
Subedar has managed to inspire his neighbour, a small farmer and his
employee to stop using chemicals. Around 1993, when Kisan Mehta visited
CICR, Nagpur, to suggest organic farming, he was met with disbelief. Mehta
has been involved with organic farming since 1986 when a small group of
Gandhians became concerned about the large-scale use of chemicals in
agriculture. They formed a trust called Prakruti which aimed to develop an
environmentally sustainable society and decided to work towards
discontinuing the use of chemicals and fertilisers, hybrid seeds and heavy
machinery in agriculture.
Cotton which in 1993 used up more than 50% of pesticides on just 5% of
land, was the main target and since Vidarbha was the largest cotton-growing
area in Maharashtra, they targeted that area. Mehta made 20 trips to the
region to meet farmers and convince them of the need to stop using
chemicals.
A German group, Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA),
Hamburg, which was interested in supporting organic cotton efforts, visited
Vidarbha to confirm that many farmers were growing cotton without chemical
fertilisers. Jens Soth of EPEA contacted the director of CICR, Nagpur, in
1993 for information on non-chemical ways of growing cotton. The
interaction with the CICR scientists, who were working on the
low/no-pesticide option for pest management in cotton led to a project that
EPEA took up with GTZ of Germany.
Subedar said, “When EPEA showed an interest in our cotton, Soth came here
and took samples and it was confirmed that we were growing organic cotton.”
Mehta’s efforts and those of the farmers and later of CICR laid the
foundation for an organized platform to grow cotton organically and export
it. Meetings started in August 1994 with farmers over five districts of
Nagpur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Amravati and Akola and resulted in 135 farmers
committing1,200 hectares of land to organic cotton by June 1995, according
to Mehta.
On December 19, 1995, the Vidarbha Organic Farmers Association (VOFA) was
formed with 132 farmers as members The idea was to have an independent
organisation for farmers to help in marketing of cotton on a non-profit
basis. Agreco agreed to certify the farmers and each farmer was provided a
diary to record cultivation practices. The season of 1996 brought a bumper
crop of cotton organically grown without much hindrance from pests, notes
Mehta.
“We had prepared a complete 70-page booklet for farmers who were interested
in organic cotton cultivation. The cotton was grown under international
organic standards certification guidelines and the German support ensured
certification and other requirements. Over 1,200 hectares were soon under
organic farming, making it (then) the largest area in the world under such
cultivation,” Mehta said.
Subedar was made president of VOFA, Manohar Parchure vice president and Om
Prakash Mor, secretary. Though it was decided that VOFA was not a
commercial organisation and would help market produce, differences
developed and there was a dispute which ended when Mor walked out and
founded Eco Farms which also sells and markets organic cotton and other
produce.
Subedar adds, “We want to promote organic crops and we feel farmers should
get a good price. Cotton is being exported since 1995 and we sell
1,500-2,000 quintals every year.”
VOFA has distributed Rs 51 lakh in incentive wages to its members since
1995-96 . In 2002 too farmers got Rs 700 per quintal as bonus, apart from
the premium per quintal. It is also making efforts to sell organic produce
other than cotton from this year.
Of VOFA’s 205 members, 90 are practicing organic farming. The total area
under cotton is 1,250 acres and the minimum landholding is 3 acres; the
maximum is 54 acres. The total land under organic cultivation is 3,500
acres (spread over Wardha, Amravati and Yavatmal districts).
When VOFA began in December 1995 there were 132 farmers; that number rose
to 250 in 1994. Members donated the first year’s profit per quintal of Rs
130 to VOFA to form a sort of corpus which has swelled to Rs 6.4 lakh. In
1999-2000, the Japanese company Fair Trade which buys their cotton, gave
the cottonpickers a bonus of Rs 2 lakh for clothing. The Fair Trade company
also donated Rs 1 lakh towards the corpus.
For farmers like Raosaheb Dagadkar from Usalgavhan, Dhamangaon taluka,
Amravati district, exporting organic cotton is the only reason to grow it.
He is India’s Fukuoka and closely follows his mentor’s principles of
do-nothing farming which sets him apart from other farmers. A member of
VOFA, he is a certified organic cotton farmer. His farm is also a
pilgrimage place for farmers from near and far. On the day I visited him,
he was taking around a group of farmers who had come to see how he grew
crops without any chemicals or fertilisers. He grows til, jowar, bajri,
cotton, vegetables and fruit over 110 acres. Farmers were amazed to see
that he neither sprayed insecticides nor used urea.
To a purist used to seeing crops in neat rows, his farm can appear very
untidy. Weeds grow everywhere and there is barely any space between two
plants. “Fully-grown cotton fields become like a forest—I can’t enter,”
he joked. His farms are full of weeds but that does not bother him. Weeds
are a goldmine and he uses them to mulch his land. The trick he says is to
know which ones to keep on top and which down. “I find compost expensive so
I use what is there in nature. All we need to do is create conditions for
earthworms to grow and then there is no need for bullocks or ploughing.”
“When I read One Straw Revolution in 1990, I decided to adopt do-nothing
farming. First there was a reduction in yield but now I usually get 4-6
quintals a year for cotton. This year I expect around 6 quintals per acre.”
VOFA is one of the few commercial organic cotton ventures in the country.
Maikaal bioRe Ltd, which claims to be the largest organic cotton venture in
the world, in Bheelaon, Madhya Pradesh, has over 1,000 farmers involved in
organic cotton production. The production of organic cotton started in 1991
as a private initiative of Mrigendra Jalan, Managing Director of the
spinning mill, Maikaal Fibres Ltd, and Patrick Hohmann, Managing Director
of the Swiss cotton yarn trading company, Remei AG, according to a report
from Maikaal bioRe.
A pilot project was initiated in 1992 with a few farmers on 15 acres. It
has since expanded to over 1,000 farmers and 7,600 acres in 80 villages of
Khargone district. Remei developed partnerships with manufacturers to
produce a whole range of quality, fashionable, ecological-social garments
made of Maikaal bioRe’s organic cotton. The entire supply chain was
integrated in 1995 when Coop, the retailer joined. Coop is Switzerland’s
second-largest supermarket chain and Europe’s market leader in
ecological-social products.
According to Hohmann this was the world’s largest project on organic
cotton, from the cultivation to the marketing and product sale stage with
the active and conscious participation of farmers, spinners, retailers and
purchasers. Every year since 1993 at the open house in the ginning factory,
hundreds of farmers meet their production partners from abroad, apart from
designers, researchers and others involved in this cooperative venture.
Farmers are encouraged to practice biodynamic agriculture, while
certification is as per the requirements of organic agriculture only.
In Kogawa village in Kasrawad taluka of Khargone district, Sher Singh grows
cotton on 8.5 of his 10.5 acres. He is a certified organic farmer since the
last four years, part of Maikaal, and last year his yield of cotton was 12
q in 7 acres.
He also grows tuvar, makai (maize) and mung. His cost of inputs for
chemicals and pesticides used to be Rs 2,500-3,000 per acre, but since the
last three years, the costs are down to Rs 1,300 per acre. All the inputs
are provided by the company.
There are 12 or 13 organic farmers in this village who get premiums of
10-20% on organic cotton.
After switching to organic farming, Singh found that yields dropped to 12 q
in 8 acres in the first year from 25 q in 8 acres. He tried to keep his
morale up by visiting other organic farmers and did not lose his nerve. In
the second year he harvested 16 q from 8 acres. He feels things will be
better this year. Farmers with Maikaal now believe that pests are fewer and
expenses less in organic farming.
Organic farmers get a premium of 10-20% above market rates. However, price
need not be the only incentive for organic farming. The importance of
organic farming in regions like Vidarbha which is marked by poverty and
drought, cannot be overstressed. Every year many farmers commit suicide in
this region and NGOs like Dhara Mitra and YUVA are trying to promote
organic farming among small farmers in a bid to reduce their cost of
cultivation. It is not only for that extra premium that farmers must adopt
organic farming—in some cases it may save their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17. ABOUT WWOOF JAPAN
WWOOF (weekend workers on organic farms) Japan is a program facilitating
travellers and holiday makers to visit hosts around Japan and receive
meals, boarding, learning and be part of the family or community at no
financial cost, in return for assisting the host with the work they do.
WWOOF hosts include farms, holiday inns, ski resorts, and more. A 12 month
membership is 4000 yen allowing you to visit as many places as you like. We
do have hosts that will accept people all year round. Please have a look
at http://www.wwoofjapan.com/index_e.html and see information on what a
WWOOF Japan membership will give you. One can see a preview of some (not
all) of our hosts at
http://www.wwoofjapan.com/preview_e.html
You can join and pay online via our website or pay at any post office
throughout Japan - see the website for details. Members have access to
bilingual forms from our website to use to communicate with hosts and make
plans that best suit them. WWOOF is a great way to see Japan away from your
daily grind. You can arrange to visit a host for just a day or two or for
longer periods, or start out with a day or two and extend if you like it.
Check out our website for all the details at http://www.wwoofjapan.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
18. SPENCER KAGAN JAPAN TOUR UPDATE
(from Jane Nakagawa)
This is a great chance to see Spencer in Japan and learn more about coop
learning, multiple inteligences and brain research re how people learn. The
attendance fees for workshops (experiential--focus on practical teaching
tips/demonostration of same) below range from free to 3000 yen. Please
contact the listed contact persons below for more detailed info re the
workshop at each location below.
Also please be advised that there could be some small changes to this
schedule/possible additions in the coming weeks.
Spencer Kagan Japan workshop tour schedule as of May 21, 2003
Monday, Sept. 15, 2003 (Nagoya) 1:00-5:00 PM
“Cooperative structures and language learning”
Contact: Linda Donan
Cooperative learning is a natural catalyst for language learning.
Cooperative learning structures can be incorporated easily as part of any
lesson, with a powerful impact on comprehensible input and frequency of
language output opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, the cooperative
structures reduce the affective filter and provide a positive, natural
context for language learning. Come learn a range of simple cooperative
learning structures that can be included in any lesson to promote language
learning, including Draw-A-Gambit, Three Pair Share and Same Different.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003 (Nagoya) Nanzan University 6:30-8:30 PM
“Brain friendly instruction through cooperative learning structures”
Contact: Louise Haynes
The brain readily learns information when presented through brain-friendly
instructional strategies, but retains little when information is presented
in ways contrary to the way the brain best learns. In this presentation Dr.
Kagan presents five principles of brain-friendly instruction and how those
principles can be implemented through simple instructional strategies
called structures. In this presentation Dr. Kagan shows brain-imaging scans
that demonstrate greater engagement when brain-friendly instructional
strategies are used. Come deepen your understanding of the brain and of the
revolutionary instructional strategies called structures. Structures such
as Visualize Share, Take Off/Touch Down, and Categorizing will be
demonstrated.
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003 (Tokyo) at Teachers College, co-sponsored by
Teachers College, JASCD and GILE
“Kagan Cooperative Structures to Promote Language Learning, Caring, and
Peace”
Contact: Michele Milner
Dr. Kagan’s simple cooperative structures are transforming instruction in
classrooms world-wide. His simple structures dramatically increase
comprehensible input, language practice opportunities, and a safe context
in which to try on unfamiliar language forms. At the same time students
learn to accept and celebrate diversity, and understand and care for each
other. The ultimate outcome is a transformation of social orientation from
a “Us versus Them” to a “We” orientation. Come experience the power of
Kagan’s simple cooperative structures like Timed Pair Interview,
RoundRobin, and Mix-N-Match.
Sunday, Sept. 21, 2003 (Tokyo) TBA. Please contact Jane Joritz-Nakagawa
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2003 (Tokyo) Location TBA.
“Cooperative structures for any lesson”
Contact: Diane Nagatomo
Dr. Kagan presents a revolutionary approach to instruction: Structures.
There is always a structure in the classroom. Structures determine academic
achievement as well as a host of non-academic outcomes. Knowledge and
implementation of a range of structures dramatically improves educational
outcomes. Come learn the theory of structures and experience the power of
Kagan structures like Numbered Heads Together, RallyRobin, and Team
Statements.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003 (Tokyo) Soka University
“Multiple intelligences: visions, myths, and structures”
Contact: Prof. Sekita
Multiple Intelligences Theory offers education three powerful visions: 1)
teaching the way students best learn; 2) developing a range of
intelligences; 3) celebrating diversity. Dr. Kagan and his co-workers have
developed dozens of easy-to-use, easy-to-implement structures such as
Kinesthetic Symbols and Visualize Share for each of eight intelligences.
The structures allow any teacher to realize all three visions as part of
any lesson. Come deepen your understanding of Multiple Intelligences Theory
and of structures such as Kinesthetic Symbols, Window Panes, and
RallyRetell; novel ways to align instruction with the three visions.
Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 (Tokyo) Seisen University, 5:30 - 8:30 PM “Positive
human relations via cooperative structures” (Pre-conference workshop at
Peace as a Global Language II conference)
Contact: Alison Miyake
Classroom structures determine academic achievement as well as a host of
non-academic outcomes.
Traditional classroom structures undermine positive social relations.
Cooperative structures, in contrast, enhance understanding of self and
others, respect for differences, empathy, self esteem, as well as liking
for school and classmates. Remarkably, cooperative structures improve human
relations without taking time from academics. Students actually learn and
retain more when cooperative structures are used. To help you build
positive peer relationships in your classroom, while maximizing student
learning come learn structures like Team Interview, Agree-Disagree
Line-Ups, and Timed Pair Share.
Sunday, Sept. 28, 2003 (Tokyo) Seisen University
“Cooperative structures, character, and peace”
(Experiential plenary at Peace as a Global Language II conference)
Contact: Alison Miyake
There is always a structure in the classroom, and the structures we use on
a daily basis form character. A teacher cannot choose not to impact on
character formation. An important question is the direction of that impact.
Traditional classroom structures (individual worksheet work; having
students raise their hands one at a time to be called on) if not balanced
by cooperative structures, have a demonstrable negative impact on character
and diminish our long-term hopes for peace. In this experiential plenary
session, we will examine a fifteen-virtue model of character and analyze
the impact of traditional and cooperative structures on virtue acquisition.
Finally we will explore how structure forms character which in turn impacts
on long-term prospects for peace. To help you build character in your
classroom, and increase our long-term prospects for peace, come learn
structures like Three-Step Interview, Paraphrase Passport, and Corners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
19. INTRODUCING ECOSIG
(from EcoSIG, the ecological issues Special Interest Group of the Japan
Exchange and Teaching Program)
EcoSIG is interested in various ecological issues and is always
open to ideas about new projects. Here is a list of our current projects.
EcoSIG is intreseted in various ecological issues and is always
open to ideas about new projects. Here is a list of our current projects:
- Eco-SIG YahooGroups (about 250 members): an information network
for current issues, upcoming events in Japan and any other relevant news.
To sign up please visit
- EcoSIG website: see
- PR: We have access to wider memebers of the JET community (in
total there are over 6,000 JETs living in Japan) at various annual
functions where we are happy to publicise the activities of other groups /
interests / companies relevant to ecological issues
- EcoBusinesses: we are currently compiling a directory of
businesses with an environmentally friendly focus that are in Japan.
- Low-impact living in Japan, organic agriculture…
- The BEE (Bicycle for Everyone’s Earth): an annual bicycle ride
from the North to South of Japan which aims to raise awarenss about
environmental issues along the way; see the website at
- The Echo: EcoSIG’s quarterly magazine publication
- The Environmental Action Guide: currently being revamped
- Assisting in the organization of Earth Day celebrations across Japan
- Down the Earth English (see the link at
education lesson plans suitable for use in the English langauge classroom
- A seed bank for our members to exchange surplus seeds
We are very keen to expand the number of organizations we network
with. Currently, we have informal liaisons with a number of environmental
interest groups and businesses in Japan. We are also affiliated with the
JET Program.
We have an active listserve of around 250 members, which provides a
useful network for information sharing (be it upcoming events, current
issues, etc), so please let us know of anything that should be broadcast on
it. As mentioned above, EcoSIG is also represented at most JET events and
is happy to publicise the work of other relevant groups from its booths.
Members of EcoSIG come from various nations but most members are
JET Programme participants and therefore currently living and working in
Japan.
EcoSIG, (the ecological issues Special Interest Group of the Japan Exchange
and Teaching Program, membership is available to JETs and non-JETs)
e-mail:
Mail: Alli Barnes, 2-1, 1057-3, Orihashi, Satomi-Mura, Kuji-Gun,
Ibaraki-Ken, 311-0506.
Or, Kerry Helston , 102, Mountview Maekubo, Ikeshita 516, Sakata-Gun,
Santo-Cho, Shiga-Ken, 521-0221.
See our website at
in_japan/about.html>
Join the email listserv, at
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
20. FRIENDS OF THE EARTH HIKES IN JUNE
(from Friends of the Earth)
The following Friends of the Earth hikes are scheduled for June.
There are no reservations—just turn up at the meeting point. The trips
are cancelled only in case of continuous heavy rain or snow, or a typhoon
warning, but the leader makes the final decision at the meeting point. Each
person is responsible for buying their own train and bus tickets.
JUNE 8: Myoujingatake / Myoujougatake / Yumoto (moderate). Meet at
7:30 a.m. at Shinjuku Odakyu Station at the front end of Platform 5. This
course goes up the mountain slopes of the eastern side of the Hakone
caldera from Doryouson Temple and along the caldera ridge from
Myoujingatake to Myoujougatake. We can see fine views of Hakone National
Part and Mt. Fuji from the top of Myoujingatake. The trail ends at Hakone
Yumoto where is is possible to visit an onsen. Walking hours: 6. Total
transportation: 2,490 yen.
JUNE 15: Saitama Kenmin no Mori / Maruyama (easy). Meet at 8:30
a.m. at Seibu Ikebukuro Station at the rear end of Platform 7. This hike
follows through the Ashigakubo Orchard via Kenmin no mori up to Maruyama.
There are fine views of Okumusashi and the Chichibu Mountains from the top.
Then we go to Ohno Touge and down to Ashigakubo Station. Walking hours:
4. Total transportation: 1,360yen.
JUNE 22: Summit-of-the-mountain beer garden (moderately easy). Meet
at 10:00 a.m. at Shinjuku Keio Line Station at the rear end of Platform 3.
Starting fromTakao-san guchi, we walk along the Koshu Kaido for 30 minutes,
and go into a mountain path from there which leads to Takao Mountain. We
then go to the summit-of-the-mountain beer garden (2 hours viking and drink
2700 yen female; 3,000 yen male). The night view is very beautiful. From
there it takes about 40 minutes walk on the paved road to Takao-san Guchi.
Walking hours: 4.5. Total transportation: 740 yen.
A donation of 1,000 yen is requested to cover organzing costs and
as a contribution towards the work Friends of the Earth is doing on
environmental issues Japan and through Friends of the Earth International
in 68 countries around the the world.
Most hikes are about six hours and many are in mountainous areas,
so you should be reasonably fit. Although the leaders take every
precaution, participation in all hikes is at your own risk. You should
bring your own lunch and drinks (including plenty of water), a flashlight,
emergency equipment (first aid kit, extra food), rain gear (not an
umbrella), and health insurance card. It is advisable to wear proper hiking
or walking shoes, since some of the trails can be muddy or rocky.
For more information see the Friends of the Earth website at
send an e-mail to
line. Friends of the Earth can also be contacted at 3-17-24-2F Mejiro,
Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0031. Tel: 03-3951-1081. Fax: 03-3951-1084.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
21. INFO ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK
REGISTRATION: To register with the International Green Network,
please request a registration form from Richard Evanoff at
193-0941. Registration is open to both individuals and groups. There is no
registration fee or dues of any kind. Small donations (1,000 yen or less)
to help cover operating expenses are welcomed, however.
NEWSLETTER: The International Green Network (IGN) Newsletter will
be published irregularly and sent to all people who register with the IGN.
An e-mail version will be sent to those on e-mail and by regular mail to
those who are not. Items for publication may be submitted by anyone and
should be sent to Andrew Welford at
3-28-12-201, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0004. Please send general discussion
items to the e-mail list (info below) rather than to the newsletter;
however, if there is something you would like to share with everyone in the
IGN, please send it to the newsletter so that those who are not on e-mail
can receive it. We especially welcome: news items; events info; profiles of
organizations and groups; alternative business advertisements (published
free of charge); short articles; and opinion pieces. Please send items for
publication in the form in which you would like it to be published since
editing will be minimal.
WEBSITE: The International Green Network maintains a website at
website should be sent to Tony Boys at
E-MAIL LIST: By joining the IGN listserv, you will be able to
exchange messages with other group members. To register for the e-mail
list, send an e-mail message “subscribe ignj” to
simply send an e-mail to
belong to the IGN e-mail list, you may unsubscribe by
sending an email to
available at
be correct but if there are any glitches, please contact the IGN list
moderator at
FAIR USE NOTICE: This newsletter may contain copyrighted material
the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the
copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to
advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this
constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for
in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.
Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research and educational purposes. For more information go
to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml If you wish to use
copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond
‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN NETWORK ECOSTUDY GROUP
The IGN EcoStudy Group was started in January, 1997 by a small
group of people interested in meeting informally to discuss current social
and ecological issues. Meetings are held on a more or less monthly basis,
usually on the third Friday, although the date varies from month to month
depending on the participants’ schedules. The group focuses mainly on Green
issues widely construed, including environmental problems, human rights,
feminism, anti-racism, globalization, alternative politics / economics,
labor issues, fair trade, cooperatives, indy media, and the like, but there
are no limitations on themes. Anyone is free at any time to volunteer to
give presentations or to propose possible topics for future discussion
(although there are no obligations to do so). The usual format is for the
person proposing a topic to give a brief introduction to the topic and then
open the floor for discussion. If there are any readings, cassettes,
videos, etc. that you would like people to familiarize themselves with
beforehand, please make them available for circulation. Since this is a
discussion group, you don’t need to be an “expert” on the topic to give a
presentation; it is perfectly acceptable to either share something you
already know about a particular topic with the group, to present reading
materials or videos instead of giving an oral presentation, or to simply
propose a topic that you would like to find out more about and discuss with
others. The International Green Network is not affiliated with any
political party (although political parties are welcome to participate in
its activities) and has no particular ideological stance (although
individual members often do!). The group is open to everyone, regardless of
nationality, educational, ideological, and occupational background (or
anything else!). Please feel free to invite anyone who may be interested to
join us! There is no formal membership or dues. Announcements of meetings
are publicized in the International Green Network Newsletter. The
International Green Network also welcomes individuals to form groups in
their own local areas, which we will also be happy to publicize in the IGN
Newsletter. To receive the IGN Newsletter send your name and mailing
address (e-mail preferred) to Richard Evanoff at 1933-8 Hazama-cho,
Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 193-0941 or e-mail
to see you at a future meeting!
In this article written for the New Internationalist website, CEO
reports on World Water Forum which took place in Kyoto, March 16-23.
Read the article the New Internationalist website:
http://www.newint.org/features/kyoto/index.html
Activists from around the world succeeded in making water
privatisation the dominant, most controversial issue during the one-
week Forum. Their testimonies on the often disastrous local
experiences with transnational corporations running the water
delivery systems torpedoed the PR strategy of pro-industry think-tank
World Water Council (WWC), which co-organised the forum.
While activists took another important step in turning the tide and
promoting people-centred alternatives to privatisation, there is
still a long way to go. International financial institutions like the
Asian Development Bank and power blocs like the European Union are
stubbornly hanging on to water privatisation as the recipe for
water delivery in the cities of the South.
Read the article the New Internationalist website:
http://www.newint.org/features/kyoto/index.html
-------------------------------------------------------
Adam Ma’anit
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
Paulus Potterstraat 20
1071 DA Amsterdam
Netherlands
tel/fax: +31-20-612-7023
e-mail:
http://www.corporateeurope.org
CEO, is a European-based research and
campaign group targeting the threats to
democracy, equity, social justice and the
environment posed by the economic and
political power of corporations and their
lobby groups.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), is a European-based research and
campaign group targeting the threats to democracy, equity, social justice
and the environment posed by the economic and political power of
corporations and their lobby groups.
CEO publishes a quarterly newsletter - Corporate Europe Observer -
featuring reports on the activities of major corporate lobby groups, issue
specific overviews, news updates, analysis, reviews and more.
The Corporate Europe Observer is currently published in print, e-mail
and web (.html and .pdf) versions. For back issues, see:
http://www.corporateeurope.org/backlist.html
We also regularly produce issue briefings on various issues, such as
climate change, trade and investment and in-depth expos$Bis(B of specific
lobby groups. For a complete list of past briefings, see:
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-Spencer Kagan Japan workshop tour schedule
JAPANESE TEXT APPEARS FOR SOME ENTRIES
Also see http://www.jalt.org/global/sig/Conferences.htm
Who is Spencer Kagan?
Dr. Spencer Kagan, director of Kagan Publishing and Professional Development, is a former professor of Psychology and Education at the University of California, author, lecturer, and teacher trainer. He has personally trained over a hundred thousand teachers and educational leaders worldwide.
Dr. Kagan’s structural approach to cooperative learning and multiple intelligences fosters peace, equality, respect for differences, self-esteem and character development, as well as academic success.
Dr. Kagan has published over 75 scientific books, book chapters, and journal articles, focusing on the development of cooperation, cooperative learning, multiple intelligences, social development, cognitive styles and cognitive abilities. Dr. Kagan created the concept of “structures.” Kagan structures allow an easy integration of cooperative learning, multiple intelligence, and character development into any lesson at any grade level or age, for subjects taught in a first or in an additional (second or foreign) language. Dr. Kagan has developed many popular cooperative learning and multiple intelligences structures such as Numbered Heads Together, Kinesthetic Symbols, Stroll Pair Share, Pairs Check, Co-op Co-op, Pairs Compare, and Visualize Share.
Dr. Kagan’s books Cooperative Learning, and Multiple Inteligences (co-authored by Miguel Kagan), are among the most popular in their fields. His book, Silly Sports and Goofy Games, provides a comprehensive presentation of non-traditional sports and games; activities which are used as energizers and “brain breaks” at all grade levels. Dr. Kagan and his work have been featured in Educational Leadership and Learning Magazine. His books have been used in schools of education to train teachers world-wide.
Dr. Kagan’s online magazine:
http://www.kaganonline.com/Newsletter/index.html
Where will he be speaking in Japan?
(Check this website for further information: http://www.jalt.org/global/sig/Conferences.htm )
Monday, Sept. 15, 2003 (Nagoya) 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
“Cooperative structures and language learning” Sponsors: Nagoya, Gifu, and Toyohashi JALT chapters, Teacher Education and Teaching Children SIGs, JAPANetwork, and Trident Preschool Contact: Linda Donan
Cooperative learning is a natural catalyst for language learning. Cooperative learning structures can be incorporated easily as part of any lesson, with a powerful mpact on comprehensible input and frequency of language output opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, the cooperative structures reduce the affective filter and provide a positive, natural context for language learning. Come learn a range of simple cooperative learning structures that can be included in any lesson to promote language learning, including Draw-A-Gambit, Three Pair Share and Same Different.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003 (Nagoya) Nanzan University 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
“Cooperative structures to promote critical reflection” Contact: Louise Haynes
Cooperative learning and critical reflection are natural allies. As the English saying goes “two heads are better than one” (or in Japanese: “sannin yoreba monju no chie"-- three persons have the wisdom of Buddha!)
Dr. Kagan has identified fifteen distinct types of thinking that prepare students for full participation in the information age. Brain imaging research reveals different brain structures engaged with the different types of thinking. Dr. Kagan has developed different cooperative structures to promote each type of thinking. Kagan structures are used without taking time away from academic content—students acquire and develop thinking skills while mastering traditional subject area content. To effectively promote higher level reasoning, creativity, flexibility, problem-solving and critical thinking, come learn Kagan cooperative structures such as Pairs Compare and Find the Fiction.
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2003 (Nagoya) Location TBA Time 10:50 AM - 12:20 PM Title TBA Contact: Jane Nakagawa
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003 (Tokyo) at Teachers College 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
“Kagan Cooperative Structures to Promote Language Learning, Caring, and Peace” co-sponsored by Teachers College, JASCD and GILE Contact: Michele Milner
Dr. Kagan’s simple cooperative structures are transforming instruction in classrooms world-wide. His simple structures dramatically increase comprehensible input, language practice opportunities, and a safe context in which to try on unfamiliar language forms. At the same time students learn to accept and celebrate diversity, and understand and care for each other. The ultimate outcome is a transformation of social orientation from a “Us versus Them” to a “We” orientation. Come experience the power of Kagan’s simple cooperative structures like Timed Pair Interview, RoundRobin, and Mix-N-Match.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2003 (Tokyo) Ochanomizu University 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
“Cooperative structures for any lesson”
Contact: Diane Nagatomo
Dr. Kagan presents a revolutionary approach to instruction: Structures. There is always a structure in the classroom. Structures determine academic achievement as well as a host of non-academic outcomes. Knowledge and implementation of a range of structures dramatically improves educational outcomes. Come learn the theory of structures and experience the power of Kagan structures like Numbered Heads Together, RallyRobin, and Team Statements.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003 (Tokyo) Soka University 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
“Multiple intelligences: visions, myths, and structures” Contact: Prof. Sekita
Multiple Intelligences Theory offers education three powerful visions: 1) teaching the way students best learn; 2) developing a range of intelligences; 3) celebrating diversity. Dr. Kagan and his co-workers have developed dozens of easy-to-use, easy-to-implement structures such as Kinesthetic Symbols and Visualize Share for each of eight intelligences. The structures allow any teacher to realize all three visions as part of any lesson. Come deepen your understanding of Multiple Intelligences Theory and of structures such as Kinesthetic Symbols, Window Panes, and RallyRetell — novel ways to align instruction with the three visions.
Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 (Tokyo) Seisen University, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
“Positive human relations via cooperative structures” (Pre-conference workshopat Peace as a Global Language II conference) Contact: Alison Miyake
Classroom structures determine academic achievement as well as a host of non-academic outcomes.
Traditional classroom structures undermine positive social relations. Cooperative structures, in contrast, enhance understanding of self and others, respect for differences, empathy, self esteem, as well as liking for school and classmates. Remarkably, cooperative structures improve human relations without taking time from academics. Students actually learn and retain more when cooperative structures are used.
To help you build positive peer relationships in your classroom, while maximizing student learning come learn structures like Team Interview, Agree-Disagree Line-Ups, and Timed Pair Share.
Sunday, Sept. 28, 2003 (Tokyo) Seisen University 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
“Cooperative structures, character, and peace” (Experiential plenary at Peace as a Global Language II conference) Contact: Alison Miyake
There is always a structure in the classroom, and the structures we use on a daily basis form character. A teacher cannot choose not to impact on character formation. An important question is the direction of that impact.
Traditional classroom structures (individual worksheet work; having students raise their hands one at a time to be called on) if not balanced by cooperative structures, have a demonstrable negative impact on character and diminish our long-term hopes for peace. In this experiential plenary session, we will examine a fifteen-virtue model of character and analyze the impact of traditional and cooperative structures on virtue acquisition. Finally we will explore how structure forms character which in turn impacts on long-term prospects for peace.
To help you build character in your classroom, and increase our long-term prospects for peace, come learn structures like Three-Step Interview, Paraphrase Passport, and Corners.
****
For further information about Dr. Spencer Kagan, visit
Saturday, June 07, 2003
-Introducing Znet Youth Watch
http://www.zmag.org/youthwatch.htm
Lots of resources. For example, here is what is on the page right now:
Youth are the recipients of more abuse, pain, hunger and neglect than any other group of people. In addition to all this children face an extraordinary amount of scapegoating and blame for problems that simply are not their fault. Now more than ever it is important to challenge the discrimination, exploitation and abuse that young people face every day of their lives, and make Youth Empowerment and liberation a central goal of movements for change.
http://www.zmag.org/youthwatch.htm
Silverstein: Anarchism And Youth Liberation May 26, 2002
Children in today?fs society are uniquely oppressed, but for the most part their oppression goes un-noticed even by people who consider themselves progressives or radicals.
Gluckman: Scapegoating Youth March 19, 2002
An Excellent look at the Scapegoating of America’s Youth.
Harden: Youth Activism At The Cross Roads
About youth activism, however, one thing is for certain: the anti-capitalist mood inside today’s anti-globalization movement has provoked a shift away from the single-issue campaigning and parochialism that marked youth politics during much of the seventies, eighties and nineties. In the West, as the reach of today’s insatiable markets has spread extensively on campus, an ideological war is being waged by a growing minority of youth who name capitalism as the source of their problems. Elsewhere, youth are gaining the confidence to take on dictatorial regimes that rightly fear the agitational role young radicals are playing. These are the battles we look at in detail here.
E. Wayne Ross: Resisting The Tyranny Of Tests
The Fight against Standardized testing and the many groups that comprise it.
Socalar: Edison Takes On Philly…
Rethinking Schools piece on the takeover of Philadelphia’s public schools by Edison and the resistance to it.
Michael Bronski: Queer As Your Folks
So what?fs the problem? What parents wouldn?ft want their children to be tolerant? Their girls to be ambitious and assertive? Their boys to be communicative and emotional? Who wouldn?ft be happy to raise young women who are sexually assured and young men who exhibit a little less eagerness in their sexual adventures?
Youth Organizing In Time of War from Wiretap
Earlier this month the Listen, Inc. meeting brought together youth from around the country to share battle stories about youth organizing since September 11th.
Adultarchy And Youth Liberation: An Interview With Brian Dominick
Recently I conducted a series of interviews via e-mail with a number of youth activists. In this one I talked to Brian Dominick about ageism’s roots in society and how to combat it.
Parenting For Youth Liberation
an interview with Cynthia Peters
In this interview I talked with Cynthia Peters about issues concerning parenting.
Challenging Lies about Youth
an interview with Mike Males
In this interview I spoke with Mike Males author of Framing Youth, Scapegoat Generation and most recently “Kids and Guns”. We spoke about discrimination and the demonization of youth.
Stan Karp: Fox TV Goes To High School
Excellent Rethinking Schools article on the Fox TV Show “Boston Public”
Elizabeth Greenberg: Slut, Ho! Girls speak out on slut bashing at school
Excellent article on the name calling that young girls routinely suffer
Nell Geiser: Making Trouble: Youth Storm the Media
Whether it’s the New York Times, CBS or Seventeen magazine, teenagers are often criminalized, consumerized or erased in the media. But through activism in social justice movements and by claiming space for their own voices, young people across the country today are demanding a different kind of attention.
Mary Riddell: Save the Children
“As many as seven million Afghan citizens may perish in the months to come unless food convoys resume immediately. Even if the UN’s pleas for a ceasefire are heeded, it will be too late for many. Last year, one in four Afghan children died before the age of five. This year, they will not be so lucky.”
Brian Dominick: Refusing Adulthood
Naive as I was in the mid-1990s, for a spell I actually thought there was a good chance that, by the turn of the century, the terms “ageism” and “youth liberation” would be ubiquitous in the Left’s vocabulary. Toward that goal, I spent most of the decade writing and speaking on youth oppression and liberation.
Mike Males: The Harpers Index Of Teenage Myths
Welcome to the ?gHarper?fs Index?h of teenage myths! (Deemed unsuitable for reprinting in publications Left to Right)
1. WHO ARE THE REAL DRUGGIES?
Number of US deaths involving abuse of heroin in 1999: 4,801.
Number which were teenagers: 33.
Number over age 35: 3,389
Angela Valenzuela: Subtractive Schooling
What happens when schools disrespect students? What happens when schools disrespect students cultural identity? Excellent article by Angela Valenzuela on the experience of Mexican Youth in American Schools.
Also:
Links
*
Free Child
*
Kid Lib
*
Child Liberation
*
Anarchist parenting
*
Mike Males Homepage
*
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
*
Wiretap
*
Youth Speak
*
Media Watch
*
Oblivion net
*
K.I.D.S
*
Stupid News
*
Youth Power
*
Activism 2000 Project,
*
Rethinking Schools
*
Youth Education Life Line (YELL)
*
Sillicon Valley De-bug
*
Students against Tests
*
Alfie Kohn’s homepage
*
Aspen Youth Services
*
AFSC
*
UNICEF
*
Building Blocks For Youth,
*
The Children’s Defense Fund,
*
Children’s Legal Protection Center
*
Children and Family Justice Center,
*
Children Now,
*
Fight Crime, Invest in Kids,
*
Georgia Alliance For Children,
*
Idaho Youth Ranch
*
Juvenile Justice Information Center,
*
Juvenile Law Center,
*
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges,
*
Peacefire,
*
The Safe and Responsive Schools Project
*
Schools Not Jails,
*
Teenage CURFEW in Hillsborough N.J.,
*
Teens, Crime, and the Community,
*
The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company
*
The Youth Law Center
*
Go Teen Go a
*
Youth on Trial: A Developmental Perspective on Juvenile Justice,
ZNet Articles and ZNet Commentaries on Youth
*
Giroux: Zero Tolerance 1
*
Giroux: Zero Tolerance 2
*
Giroux: The Politics of Schooling
*
Peters: It Takes Whole Baby Product And Toy Industry To Raise A Child
*
Peters: Progressive Parenting
*
Peters: Children Their Deficiencies
Past Youth Watch Articles
*
Elizabeth Martinez: The New Youth Movement In California
*
Dominick: Young People And Activism
*
Peters: Teen Girls Sexism and Marketing
*
Street Children Have Rights too
http://www.zmag.org/youthwatch.htm
-Texas Pledge Of Allegiance Law Undermines Democracy And Critical Thinking
by Robert Jensen
Among its many dubious achievements this session, the Texas Legislature—in the name of promoting appreciation for democratic political values in the public schools—struck a blow against the critical thinking skills crucial for meaningful democracy.
The Legislature passed, and Gov. Rick Perry last week signed into law, a bill ordering all school districts to require students to pledge allegiance to the U.S. and Texas flags once during each school day, starting in the fall.
The message is pretty simple: To be good citizens-in-training, children must stand up, face a flag, and recite by rote a questionable set of political assertions. That’s democracy in action? That’s education?
No, that’s instruction in subordination, the unquestioned acceptance of authority.
In his defense of the bill, sponsor Sen. Jeff Wentworth pointed out that the habits we form as children are crucial to moral and political development. “If you want children to know what work is, have them work,” the San Antonio Republican said. I couldn’t agree more.
He continued, “If you want children to love country and state, teach them to honor their flags.”
That one begs some obvious questions: Why should we want children to love country and state? What do such declarations really mean? If our country or state is engaged in illegal or immoral activities, should we love it? If what we claim to love are not the actions of our government at any given moment—which can be, and often are, stupid or wrong, or both—is it really principles about freedom and justice we are claiming to love? If so, why claim those principles for country or state? Aren’t those principles universal?
And, more importantly, if the lives of all people all over the world are of equal moral value—as every major religious and philosophical system contends—shouldn’t we be pledging allegiance to our common humanity? Perhaps we should be pledging to work toward a future in which state and national boundaries no longer separate people. Maybe we should be pledging to work toward a set of universal principles that are articulated and defended in a world council made of up of representatives from different watershed regions based on principles of voluntary association.
Or maybe not—which is my point. Different people have different viewpoints on these questions. In a meaningful democracy, the conventional answers to those questions shouldn’t be drilled into children through rituals. In an educational system that takes seriously the goal of encouraging critical thinking (see the Texas Education Code, section 28.001), the answers to all those questions should not be dictated but should be the subject of discussion from the earliest possible age.
Yes, we want children to form good intellectual and political habits—one of which is subjecting to rigorous critique the political assertions handed down from above.
This is the problem of patriotism. If we want to live in a real democracy, the concept of patriotism itself has to be up for grabs. We must encourage serious debate—not just about what constitutes patriotic behavior, as the question is usually framed, but about whether patriotism itself is politically and morally desirable. That debate isn’t fostered by required recitation of pledges to flags.
The new law also mandates a one-minute period each day for students to “reflect, pray, meditate, or engage in any other silent activity.” That provision and the “one nation under God” phrase in the national pledge of allegiance raise questions of church/state separation. But my concerns here are about pedagogy, not theology.
Because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 60 years ago that a school could not force a child to recite the pledge, the new Texas law allows schools to excuse a student, at a parent’s request, from reciting the pledges. Even with that provision, in some classrooms students who opt out may face ridicule from fellow students, and we should be concerned about them.
Much more dangerous, however, is the effect on those students who stand up every day and participate in the pledge drill. Our democracy is in serious trouble if we think we can teach citizenship and critical thinking like the multiplication tables.
This is a Znet Sustainer article.
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-Tony Blair in trouble for using forged documents
The Niger connection: Tony Blair, forged documents and the case for war
By Andrew Grice Political Editor and David Usborne in New York
The Independent (UK) 05 June 2003
Tony Blair was under mounting pressure yesterday after he refused to withdraw discredited claims by the secret intelligence service MI6 that Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium to make nuclear weapons.
The controversy over documents supplied by MI6 and exposed as crude forgeries by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before the war in Iraq now threatens to erupt into a full-blown political scandal on both sides of the Atlantic.
Yesterday the Prime Minister stood by the dossier on Saddam’s alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) issued by the Government last September, which included the claim that Iraq had “sought the supply of significant quantities of uranium from Africa” even though it had no active civil nuclear power programme.
On the same day the Foreign Affairs Committee in the US Congress was given secret testimony that Niger had provided Iraq with 500 tons of uranium oxide for its secret nuclear bomb programme.
The Government’s dossier on WMD also contained Mr Blair’s assertion that Iraq was able to launch chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes, which is now widely discredited.
The threat of Saddam acquiring nuclear weapons became a linchpin in both governments’ campaigns to build a case for war. But the allegation was blown apart in March by the IAEA, after a cursory investigation.
Yesterday Robin Cook, the former foreign secretary, urged Mr Blair to withdraw his claim in the Commons last September that Saddam was “actively trying to acquire nuclear weapons capability”.
The Prime Minister said at the time: “We know that Saddam has been trying to buy significant quantities of uranium from Africa, although we do not know whether he has been successful.”
Mr Cook, who resigned from the Cabinet over the Iraq war, challenged Mr Blair in the Commons, asking whether he had been advised that the documents on which the claim was based were forged. He asked Mr Blair to correct the record now by saying that “he regrets in all good faith he gave the House information which has since turned out to be wrong”.
Mr Blair refused to do so, insisting there was intelligence to back up the claim. He said: “ I’m not going into the details of what particular intelligence it was. But there was intelligence judged by the Joint Intelligence Committee at the time to be correct.” He said the Government was not in a position “to say whether that is so or not” until after the investigation to be carried out by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.
When the Prime Minister is quizzed by the committee, he is expected to say that the Government had more than one source for the allegation. One British official said: “There were a number of sources for the text in our dossier on that and we stand by it.”
Last night the IAEA expressed surprise that Mr Blair did not take the opportunity offered by Mr Cook to abandon the allegation. Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the IAEA, said: “These were blatant forgeries. We were able to determine that they were forgeries very quickly.”
It only became apparent to the rest of the world in March that the basis of the allegation, letters purportedly exchanged between Iraqi agents and the government of Iraq, had been faked. What is embarrassing is how rudimentary the forgeries turned out to be. One such letter, for example, had apparently been signed by a Niger foreign minister who, at the time of its signing, had in fact been out of office for more than a decade.
The letters contained several other basic errors that were immediately picked up by the IAEA investigators.
Members of Congress are now turning up the heat on the White House to explain why intelligence that even the CIA was dubious about was included in President George Bush’s state of the union address in January. Some members have said it was the only reason they supported the war.
The implication that Mr Bush may have deliberately misled Congress, and the world, in that speech was made in a private letter sent this week from Henry Waxman, a leading Democrat in the House of Representatives, to Mr Bush two days ago. The letter was seen yesterday by The Independent. He wrote: “I urge you to explain why you cited forged evidence about Iraq’s efforts to obtain nuclear materials in your state of the union address.
“That a President could cite forged evidence in such an address - on a matter as momentous as impending war - should be unthinkable.”
“Using little more than a Google search, IAEA experts discovered indications that should have been evident to novice intelligence officials.”
The issue is expected to be investigated closely by two congressional inquiries to be launched in the United States.
In his state of the union address, Mr Bush said: “ The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”
In April, a statement posted on the White House website said: “He [Saddam] recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa, according to the British Government.”
Mr Waxman said last night: “The United States knew that information independent of Tony Blair to be a hoax, to be incorrect. At least our CIA knew it. Maybe the President was relying on Tony Blair to make a statement and therefore the President’s statement was accurate.
But it’s quite a deceptive way to make a presentation. Of course it leaves open the question: what did Tony Blair know about this?”
The US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who spent four days ensconced with the CIA reviewing evidence before addressing the UN, opted to drop the uranium allegation from his testimony at the last minute.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=412558
-On medical orthodoxy and AIDS/SARS (by Greg Nigh)
These summaries/snippets are from the Znet Sustainer Health Forum. Nigh is a Naturpath from the U.S. state of Oregon.
http://www.naturecuresclinic.com/2.html
Lots has accumulated over the past few weeks. Here is a sampling:
[As SARS becomes a has-been epidemic, the potential for profit is not going to let it die completely. The WHO recently announced that SARS was “past its peak.” Not for the drug and test makers, though.]
New York Times June 3, 2003
Scientists Race to Detect SARS, but First They Must Test the Test
By ANDREW POLLACK and LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
As scientists and companies race to develop diagnostic tests to quickly determine whether a person has SARS, they face a big challenge: testing whether the tests themselves are accurate.
A number of experimental tests have been developed or are being developed, scientists, government officials and corporate executives said in recent interviews and at a meeting on SARS research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., on Friday.
But such development “has progressed more slowly than initially hoped” because people produce only small amounts of the SARS virus in the first few days of illness, unlike most other viral diseases, the World Health Organization said yesterday.
-----------
[in this article, they never mention the name of the drug, even though the drug led to toxicity deaths.]
Business Day (Johannesburg) May 29, 2003
AIDS sufferers want De Lille biography cut
Legal Affairs Correspondent
OUTSPOKEN politician Patricia de Lille is being hauled into court to answer accusations that she “outed” several HIV/AIDS-infected women in her biography, written by well-known journalist Charlene Smith.
The women, who approached De Lille in 2000 to investigate an AIDS-drug trial in Gauteng in which five participants had died, claim they have been ostracised and threatened by their communities since being named in the book, Patricia de Lille.
It is unclear how this revelation will affect the former Pan Africanist Congress MP’s efforts to launch her new party, Independent Democrats, which appears to be relying on her reputation as an HIV/AIDS lobbyist to attract support.
In the book, Smith talks about how a probe by De Lille halted a study into an AIDS drug produced by US firm Triangle Pharmaceuticals after the politician was approached by participants suffering terrible side effects. De Lille found that people had not been properly informed about the contents of the consent form.
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[Biological imperialism disguised as AIDS education.]
Independent (Johannesburg) May 23, 2003
HIV and Aids: common myths dispelled
By Liz Clarke
A strong fusion between science and African culture has given more than 200 traditional healers from in and around Durban the tools to fight ignorance and prejudice surrounding HIV and Aids.
Their graduation took place in Warwick Triangle on Friday, part of a programme developed by the University of Michigan in the United States to inform semi-illiterate and illiterate communities about HIV and Aids.
Dressed in an array of brilliant, colourful beads, swathes of richly-hued cloth and praising the good spirits with her ishobi, Thembisile Dlamuka’s face said it all. She was jubilant as she received a her graduation certificate, proving she has a sound and scientific knowledge of HIV and Aids.
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[Here’s a recent scientific publication. The language is quasi-technical, but the message is clear: the AIDS drugs (especially the ones that AIDS activists want dumped into Africa) cause liver disease (which is now the #1 cause of death in AIDS patients).]
Am J Clin Pathol 119(4):546-555, 2003.
Abstract
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) [such as AZT, ddI, ddC, 3TC] induce mitochondrial toxic effects resulting in multiple organ disorders. Liver involvement has been associated mainly with severe lactic acidosis and massive steatosis [which is invasion of the liver by fat tissue]. However, patients with HIV infection who are receiving antiretroviral treatment frequently have mildly abnormal liver test results that, to date, have not been linked unambiguously to the toxic effects of NRTIs. [in other words, while the drugs are doing a huge amount of damage to the liver of patients, the lab markers for liver damage are not significantly abnormal, so the damage has been done while no one paid much attention.]
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[Another abstract on AIDS drugs reads as follows:]
AIDS Reader 13(4):176-187, 2003.
Abstract
HAART [Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy, aka the AIDs cocktail] has resulted in dramatic declines in morbidity and mortality among patients infected with HIV [This is the obligatory statement before saying something bad about the drugs, even though the statement is false]. Increased experience with HAART has led to the detection of drug-related toxicities that may compromise adherence and necessitate discontinuation of treatment and alteration of otherwise effective regimens [read: the drugs cause such severe toxicity in patients who take them that they might not be able to continue taking them, even though the drugs are so “effective."]. This article considers the major long-term complications associated with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) use—[here comes the list of “major” complications; we won’t mention the “minor” complications like heart failure, diabetes, neurological damage and others] hyperlactatemia and lactic acidosis/hepatic steatosis, other hepatotoxicities, pancreatitis, lipodystrophy/lipoatrophy, neurop-athy, and hematologic toxicities. Mechanisms by which NRTIs may produce these effects are discussed, as are differential effects of agents in this class and management options.
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[Now juxtapose those abstracts with this article]
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) May 21, 2002
Africa’s Aids drugs trapped in the lab
There is no lock on the door, no phalanx of guards, no visible impediment to the drugs leaving the glass chamber that the laboratory technicians call a “stability room”. The pills come in little white boxes with labels such as lamivudine, zidovudine and efavirenz, technical names disguising the fact that these tablets are the stuff of life.
Take them together and if you have HIV you can stave off death for years. Millions in Africa have the virus but not the pills. A stone’s throw from the laboratory Aids is wiping out communities, yet these pills cannot leave the stability room.
This is Nairobi, the factory is Kenyan, and a web of influence spun by the world’s pharmaceutical giants encloses its labs, ensuring the Aids drugs stay inside. For Africa, getting them out would be a milestone in controlling the pandemic.
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[when any individual “resists” infection, the push isn’t to study what it is about the individual that makes them better able to resist, but to focus on one subset of T-cells and its relationship with “HIV.]
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) May 20, 2003
Discovery of HIV-immune group in Uganda
Scientists believe an effective Aids vaccine may be a step closer after studying an unexpected reponse to the HIV virus in individuals in Uganda who appear immune to infection.
Just over two dozen people near Lake Victoria have been found t