World-News

Commentary By Don Maisch

March 6, 2006

Concerned over how controversial science issues are being communicated to the public in the British media, the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) and the Royal Institution of Great Britain , under the Directorship of Baroness Susan Greenfield (who is also affiliated with SIRC) , have published a joint “Guidelines on Science and Health Communication”. These Guidelines are stated to lessen the distortion and sensationalism of media reporting of controversial science and health issues and to ensure that scientific stories should be scientifically accurate without unjustified ‘scare stories’ and articles offering false hopes to the seriously ill. Baroness Greenfield is a well known neuroscientist, holds several senior University positions and has authored numerous books and documentaries on the human brain.

The guidelines propose what is essentially a strict process of vetting any science media stories to weed out the communication of controversial information not to the liking of the authors of the Guidelines. Anything that is not peer reviewed in an accepted journal, such as concerns over GM food safety, or community concerns over telecommunications towers, for example, would have to be balanced with expert comment from a select list of suitable experts drawn up by The Royal Society, the Royal Institution and SIRC.

Under these Guidelines when studies are reported in the media that radically challenge existing assumptions, (that go against government policy, such as GM foods or cell phone safety) opinions from scientists with the opposite viewpoint should be included to explain why the findings “might be considered premature or even unfounded”. In addition positive findings should be combined with risk comparisons. The Guidelines state:

“We recommend that, whenever possible, novel risks should be compared with risks that readers and audiences will be familiar with in their daily lives. For example, can the reported risk be compared with that of being struck by lightening, crossing the road, taking a bath or flying a hangglider? ”

A further theme in the Guidelines is seen in section 6 where it is claimed “[u]nfounded scares can cause very serious damage to public health,” Section 6 also brings in the concept of making risk / benefit comparisons. For example, this could be a newspaper article reporting on a study finding an increased risk of acoustic neuronas for cell phone but then comparing that to the benefits of the cell phone as a “social lifeline”.

In January 2001 a new “independent” Science Media Centre, created by SIRC / RI, was opened at the Royal Institution with the support of the UK science Minister Lord Sainsbury. The Media Centre aimed to help “sceptical and impatient journalists get their stories right on controversial issues such as animal research, cloning and genetically modified food”. However the close working relationship between government science policy and the independent media centre was seen in an article promoting the Media Centre by Susan Greenfield which was co-authored by Tristram Hunt who works at Tony Blair’s press office at No. 10 Downing Street.

Concerns over the SIRC dictating guidelines on how the media and scientists report science to the public takes on a rather bizarre twist when examining the SIRC’s research paper ” The role of mobile telecommunications in the 21 st Century” by “social anthropologist” Kate Fox. Fox is a founder of SIRC and a consultant for the PR firm MCM Research Ltd . The telecommunications research paper is listed on the same SIRC webpage as the Guidelines on Science and Health Communication. So we can assume that this research paper has undergone a strict peer review process or expert evaluation by the The Royal Society and the Royal Institution. As such Kate Fox’s research paper must what The Royal Society and the Royal Institution consider as good science. If so God help Great Britain.

Don Maisch


Evolution, Alienation and Gossip
The role of mobile telecommunications in the 21st century
By Kate Fox

http://www.sirc.org/publik/gossip.shtml

Executive Summary

Gossip is not a trivial pastime: it is essential to human social, psychological and even physical well-being. The mobile phone, by facilitating therapeutic gossip in an alienating and fragmented modern world, has become a vital ’social lifeline’, helping us to re-create the more natural communication patterns of pre-industrial times.

Key findings:

Mobile gossip is good for us

Gossip is the human equivalent of ’social grooming’ among primates, which has been shown to stimulate production of endorphins, relieving stress and boosting the immune system. Two-thirds of all human conversation is gossip, because this ‘vocal grooming’ is essential to our social, psychological and physical well-being. Mobiles facilitate gossip. Mobiles have increased and enhanced this vital therapeutic activity, by allowing us to gossip ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere’ and to text as well as talk. Mobile gossip is an effective and important new stress-buster.

Mobile phones are the new garden fence

The space-age technology of mobile phones has allowed us to return to the more natural and humane communication patterns of pre-industrial society, when we lived in small, stable communities, and enjoyed frequent ‘grooming talk’ with a tightly integrated social network. In the fast-paced modern world, we had become severely restricted in both the quantity and quality of communication with our social network. Mobile gossip restores our sense of connection and community, and provides an antidote to the pressures and alienation of modern life. Mobiles are a ’social lifeline’ in a fragmented and isolating world.

Additional findings:

* Men gossip as much as women. The study found that men gossip at least as much as women, especially on their mobiles. Thirty-three percent of men indulge in mobile gossip every day or almost every day, compared with twenty-six percent of women. Men gossip for just as long and about the same subjects as women, but tend to talk more about themselves. The study did find a sex difference in ‘gossip partners’, with men more likely to gossip with work colleagues, partners and female friends, while women gossip more with same-sex friends and family. Male and female gossip also sounds different, as women use more animated tones, more detail and more feedback.

* Mobile as ’symbolic bodyguard’. Women use their mobile phones as ’symbolic bodyguards’ when feeling vulnerable in public places - in the way that they used to use a newspaper of magazine as a ‘barrier signal’.

* The joy of text. Texting is particularly important in maintaining contact with a wide social network - allows us to maintain social bonds even when we do not have the time, energy, inclination or budget for calls or visits. Texting re-creates the brief, frequent, spontaneous ‘connections’ with members of our social network that characterised the small communities of pre-industrial times.

* Teenage social skills. Texting helps teenagers (and some adult males) to overcome awkwardness and inhibitions and to develop social and communication skills - they communicate with more people, and more frequently, than they did before mobiles.

* Text as ‘trailer’. Mobile gossip is enhanced by the use of the text message as a ‘trailer’, alerting friends to the fact that one is in possession of an interesting item of gossip, but saving the details for a phone call or meeting.

* Entertainment. Women are more skilled than men at making gossip entertaining - three factors are involved: highly animated tone, plenty of detail and enthusiastic ‘feedback’.

* Risk-therapy. Enjoyment of gossip is also about the thrill of risk-taking, doing something a bit naughty, talking about people’s ‘private’ lives - this is particularly important for the reserved and inhibited English, but all humans have inbuilt need for risk-taking.

* Benefits of negative gossip. Only about five per cent of gossip-time is devoted to criticism and negative evaluation of others - but this ‘negative gossip’ has clear social benefits in terms of rule-learning and social bonding. END - BUT WAIT THERE’S STILL MORE FROM SIRC!!!!

If this isn’t enough to illustrate SIRC’s Galactic Bias then have a look at their article “Birds on the wire” at < http://www.sirc.org/articles/birds_on_the_wire.shtml > According to author James Harkin the critics of mobile phone technology argue that “they are essentially hostile to social life” and blame cell phones “for everything from a crime wave to a growth in teenage illiteracy.” Harkin is of the opinion that “mobiles can become convenient repository for existing anxieties which have little to do with the technology itself.” The article goes on with the theme that the only problem with the technology are those unfounded fears coming from an ignorant puplic. However the ‘clincher’ is at the end where Harkin makes the following statement.

” …together with an understanding of the benefits of mobile technology and relative risk factors which can help to put phone fears into perspective. They [local authorities] must also take greater steps to make their own properties and land available for the siting of phone masts.”

And all this pseudo scientific babble comes from the web site of the people who set guidelines for the ‘proper’ communication of science in Great Britian!

Don Maisch
EMFacts Consultancy

http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=401

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Kate Fox - British Academia has hit a new low, even by "Dr" Burgess standards. Thanks to Don Maisch for his comments. British children are using their video phones to record gang attacks and murders of innocent people. A while back I could have said that reality in Britain makes Cronenberg's film Videodrome look like child's play. However, child's play in Britain is now far, far worse than Cronenberg's film. "Videodrome" involved adults and was secretive. Years ago, campaigners here warned about adult paedophiles, pornography and the risks of unfiltered camera and video phones. We were attacked as scaremongers. But what is happening is the children are making pornography. This vile material is being tranmitted through masts sited on churches! What does the British Government do? Pay the Social Issues Research Centre to do public relations for the Mobile Phone Industry. I hope the horrors in Britain will warn other countries before it is too late for other families.

Yasmin Skelt
(Chorleywood, Herts, England)

While US President George W. Bush hailed Thursday's nuclear accord with India as a major breakthrough in forging a "strategic partnership" with the South Asian giant, the pact has been broadly denounced by non-proliferation experts here as a devil's bargain. The agreement marks a significant blow to the prevailing international non-proliferation regime, who have argued that it effectively rewards India for behavior that differs little from what Iran is trying to do today.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030606C.shtml

Fred Pearce has been on a five-year journey across the planet to find out why, and to assess whether Britain's favoured solution of building more reservoirs is the right response

Fred Pearce's new book, When The Rivers Run Dry, is published by Eden Project Books (£18.99).

Wednesday March 1, 2006
http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1719848,00.html

Every time there is a drought, water companies can be found dusting off their plans for new reservoirs. After another dry winter, 2006 is unlikely to be an exception. Thames Water is preparing plans for the largest man-made structure in Britain - a £700m reservoir covering 10 sq km, with banks rising as high as a church tower above the flat farmland near Abingdon in Oxfordshire.

The scheme, designed to store water from the Thames in winter and release it downstream in summer, was due to be unveiled next week. Thames Water had booked the local village hall, but then cancelled. The company denies the story, but many believe that the delay is because Thames Water has been put up for sale by its German owners.

Even so, it has pencilled in a public inquiry for 2008 and, if it gets its way, the Vale of the White Horse will be under water by 2020. The alternative could be standpipes in the capital, say the company's engineers. But few of those engineers will be aware that 30 years ago, before Thames Water was privatised, an economic study by their public sector predecessors concluded that saving water by plugging leaks in water mains and installing new valves for every toilet cistern in London would be cheaper and just as effective.

Britain is a modest user of water. We consume a sixth as much per head as Egyptians, for instance. This is mainly because our moderate temperatures, reasonable rainfall and cloudy skies ensure that our crops mostly grow without artificial irrigation. But our water engineers share with their colleagues the world over an obsession with dams and pipes and concrete. They want to supply ever more water, and are deaf to calls for investment in demand management. And, as I have discovered in a five-year investigation of the world's water, this supply-side fixation is creating a global hydrological crisis that threatens the survival of some of the world's largest rivers.

The world atlas no longer tells the truth. Today, dozens of the greatest rivers are dry long before they reach the sea. They include the Nile in Egypt, the Yellow River in China, the Indus in Pakistan, the Rio Grande and Colorado in the US, the ancient Oxus that once fed the Aral Sea in Central Asia, the Murray in Australia, and the Jordan, which is emptied before it can even reach the country that bears its name.

The biggest demand on the world's water is irrigated farming, which takes two-thirds of all the water abstracted from rivers and underground reserves. This is largely due to the green revolution. The "high-yielding" plant varieties that have kept the world fed as populations have doubled over the last 30 years turn out to be high-yielding only when measured against land area. Measured against water use, they are generally worse than the crops they replaced. They produce less crop per drop.

*Binding constraint*

As a result, the world grows twice as much food as it did a generation ago, but abstracts three times as much water to do it. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation says that on at least a third of the world's fields today, "water rather than land is the binding constraint" on production.

This profligacy is present in every supermarket trolley. The amount of water needed to grow our everyday food is staggering. To grow a kilo of rice takes between 2,000 and 5,000 litres of water - more than many households use in a week. It takes 20,000 litres to fill a kilo jar of coffee, up to 4,000 litres to grow the fodder that will deliver a litre of cow's milk, and up to 11,000 litres to make a quarter-pound hamburger. In such ways, I reckon I indirectly consume a hundred times my own weight in water every day. US environmentalist and agriculturalist Lester Brown talks of a "food bubble" - a world awash with food grown using water that will never be replaced. One day, he says, the bubble will burst. And everywhere I went, I saw why.

I stood on the banks of the Rio Grande at Presidio, on the US-Mexico border, with Terry Bishop, bankrupt despite owning a large chunk of prime Texas farmland. His problem is that - thanks largely to over-abstraction by upstream irrigators - his legal entitlement to the river's water is useless. There is no water in the river. In fact, the mighty Rio Grande is now two rivers. The main US arm, rushing out of the Rockies, gives out just past El Paso, 1,000km from the Gulf of Mexico. Its bed is then dry for 300km until, just past Presidio, an old tributary, the Rio Conchos, brings relief from Mexico.

In much of India, the rivers have long-since dried up, and the only water is underground. In the last decade, more than 20 million farmers have bought drills and cheap Yamaha pumps to bring water to the surface and irrigate their crops. As a result, water tables that were until recently only a few metres from the surface are now hundreds of metres down.

The pumping bonanza is "a colossal anarchy, a one-way trip to disaster," says Tushaar Shah, of the International Water Management Institute, whose HQ is in Gujarat. He reckons farmers are taking from underground
100 cubic km of water more every year than the rains replace. India's green revolution is living on borrowed water and borrowed time.

Emptying the rivers brings ecological and social chaos in its wake. In northern Nigeria, the Hadejia wetland on the edge of the Sahara once provided fish and pastures and free irrigation water for a million people. But it is being dried up by inefficient and wasteful upstream irrigation schemes - cruelly advertised by the government as "greening the desert". Now cattle herders and farmers fight for the last water. Every year now, there are dead bodies strewn across the wetland.

The death of the Aral Sea, as Uzbek cotton farmers plunder the rivers that once filled it, is a well-known ecological disaster. But I discovered that it is also a human disaster. The huge state cotton farms bring little wealth now, while the water running to waste from leaking canals and waterlogged fields is poisoning huge swaths of the country with salt.

The stuff is everywhere - in drinking water, in soils, in the air during the huge dust storms that blow off the dried up sea, and ultimately in the bodies of the people. Oral Ataniyazova, a local doctor and health campaigner, took me to hospitals in Karakalpakstan, the worst hit area, where more than 90% of the population have anaemia, deaths in childbirth are endemic, and cancer rates are among the highest in the world - all because of the salt. This forgotten corner of the world is committing ecological suicide.

*Precious resource*

Around the Aral Sea they waste water on an unbelievable scale. But where water is treated as a precious resource, it is increasingly appropriated by the powerful. Israel explains its refusal to let Palestinians sink new boreholes in the West Bank by saying water there is already being overused. But the reality is that Israeli settlers in their hilltop compounds have swimming pools and sprinklers on their lawns, while down below, their Palestinian neighbours go thirsty.

Oxfam's Geoff Graves took me to Madama, a Palestinian village near Nablus, where neighbouring Israeli settlers poisoned the village's only well and shot at aid workers who came to clean it. Most villagers now buy water from passing tankers, but not all can afford it. Ahmed Qot, a poor farmer, told me he spends three hours every day carrying pots on his donkey to get water from a nearby village for his nine children and five farm animals.

In my travels, I found massive waste and misuse and misappropriation of water, but I also found huge potential to manage things better. I visited inspiring villages across India and China where they are reviving ancient methods of capturing the rain as it falls. I met farmers who use perforated bicycle inner tubes as a cheap method of irrigating their crops from meagre water supplies. And I went to communities in Syria that still rely on thousand-year-old tunnels, known as qanats, that deliver underground water by gravity. I met engineers who want to tear down the dams and give the water back to wetlands and fisheries. And I met citizens demanding a "new water ethic", based on ecology and sustainability and sharing.

I took to using the phrase wherever I went, and it seemed to strike a common chord from Spain to India and China to the US. Maybe it is time to hear it in Britain, too. We might start with the Vale of the White Horse.

*Levels of concern*

Two years ago, a survey revealed that at least seven new reservoirs were planned - in Essex, Sussex, Hampshire, Yorkshire and north-west England.

Meanwhile, planners are dusting off schemes for a national water grid that would bring water from Wales to London, from Cumbria to Bristol, and from Northumbria to East Anglia. One link in the grid would involve building a new dam in Wales to discharge water down the river Severn for piping over the Cotswolds to top up the headwaters of the Thames.

We are using more water, and it is raining less. Britain is, in all probability, moving towards a climate more like Spain's. In parts of the south-east, summer rainfall is expected to halve by 2050, and evaporation rates from reservoirs could rise by one-third. Last year, permission was sought for the first desalination plant on the Thames estuary.

Britons have grown used to always having water in our taps, but we cannot take that for granted. Last week, the government's Environment Agency warned that standpipes and rota cuts might be needed in south-east England this summer if it does not rain heavily in the next two months. During the last major drought, in the mid-1990s, West Yorkshire came within days of running out of water altogether.


Informant: Teresa Binstock

Mobile phone company Orange today said it would not be moving its phone mast in West Felton. Engineers have been at the site, close to The Avenue, taking the large satellite dishes to the mast.

But the move has angered residents, who were told this week that a meeting between residents, Orange and the borough council, had been postponed.

They want the phone company to consider relocating the mast to nearby fields, away from houses.

But while a spokesman for the mobile phone giant said the meeting had only been postponed because of difficulties in giving staff enough notice of the meeting, she said that Orange would not change its mind over the site of the mast in the village.

A new date for the meeting is now being arranged.

The full version of this article appears in the Oswestry edition of tonight’s Shropshire Star.

© 2003-06 Shropshire Newspapers Ltd

http://www.shropshirestar.com/show_article.php?aID=43077

06.03.06

Der BUND kritisiert die Verteilung von genmanipuliertem Mais an Jäger in Thüringen. Der Verband befürchtet eine unkontrollierte Ausbreitung auf konventionellen Mais, wie BUND-Landesgeschäftsführer Burkhard Vogel am Donnerstag in Erfurt sagte. Laut Vogel verstreut sich das Saatgut zum Füttern der Wildtiere in alle Himmelsrichtungen. Das Sozialministerium wies die Vorwürfe zurück.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13080

06.03.06

Der Arbeitskreis friedensorientierter kritischer Soldaten, das "Darmstädter Signal", fordert von der Bundesregierung einen verstärkten Einsatz zum Abzug aller Atomwaffen aus Deutschland. Angesichts der neuen Atom-Zusammenarbeit zwischen den USA und Indien müsse Deutschland ein Signal setzen und auf eine "nukleare Teilhabe" verzichten, sagte Vorstandssprecher Helmuth Prieß am Montag in Swisttal. Die in Büchel und Ramstein einsatzbereit gehaltenen Atombomben müssten endlich abgezogen werden.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13089

"Jenseits von Abu Ghraib": Amnesty sieht kein Ende von Willkür und Folter im Irak (06.03.06)

"Egal ob in US-Haft oder in den Gefängnissen der irakischen Behörden, im Irak werden die grundlegenden Rechte von tausenden Häftlingen mit Füßen getreten." Dies ist die Einschätzung der Menschenrechtsorganisation Amnesty International nach einem am Montag veröffentlichten Bericht. Darin schildert beispielsweise Karim R. aus Bagdad, was er eigenen Angaben zufolge erlebt hat: 2003 hätten US-Streitkräfte den 47-Jährigen festgenommen, sieben Tage lang gefoltert und schließlich ohne Anklageerhebung entlassen. 2005 sei er wieder verhaftet worden, "dieses Mal von Sicherheitsbeamten des irakischen Innenministeriums". Erneut sei er geschlagen und mit Elektroschocks traktiert und wieder ohne Anklage freigelassen worden.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13095

Sign the Petition to Help Stop the Killing in Darfur!
http://tinyurl.com/g6tlj

Tell Congress that the People of Darfur Matter
https://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/rg/register.asp?c=ggLLIYOHKrF&b=1847457&en=fnLBIFPnHcLAJFNfE3IGJLNqGnJPKMOlF9KCJROuEfJQL4J

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Stop Violence Against Women in Darfur - Protect the Women of Darfur

Please join us on March 8, International Women's day, in taking action to end human rights abuses against women in Darfur, Sudan. Amnesty International is alarmed by escalating violence in the Darfur region of western Sudan between the Sudanese army, government-backed militias and armed opposition groups.

Much of the violence perpetrated in the Darfur conflict has resulted in grave human rights violations against women. These violations against women and girls include abductions, rape and forced displacement. Take action today to stop violence against women in Darfur.

http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M7146585810612138224762165

Learn more about the state of women's rights in Darfur during our online discussion with Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, M.D. from 1:00-2:00 PM EST on March 8th. Rev. Dr. White-Hammond currently serves as the National Chairperson of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign and has made multiple trips to war-torn southern Sudan since 2001. »
Submit a question in advance
http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M7146585910612138224762165
» Learn more
http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M7146586010612138224762165


Sincerely,

The Web Team Amnesty International USA

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Protect the Women of Darfur

Thanks to the letters and emails of thousands of Amnesty International activists and the work of others, the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved an amendment for $50 million for African Union and other peacekeeping operations in Darfur -- in addition to the $514 million already designated for Sudan -- in its Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. A Senate companion bill, which now includes the same level of funding for peacekeeping operations in Darfur, will come up for a full vote within days.

Please email your Senators today and urge them to vote for the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, to ensure ongoing support for crucial peacekeeping operations in Darfur!

» Act now under:
http://tinyurl.com/rlvmd

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THE FIGHT FOR DARFUR: GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS TAKE ACTION TO STOP GENOCIDE

http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2006_247/news/12106-1.html


Informant: NHNE

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Darfur: a region plunged in conflict

The civil war and its consequences have led to the deaths of up to 300,000 people, while the United Nations estimates that more than 2.4 million have been forced from their homes.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=16343



African Genocide

Some are calling it the first genocide of the 21st century, the killings of mostly black African Muslims blamed on an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed. Some 200,000 are thought to have been killed and 2,000,000 brutalized or displaced.

http://tinyurl.com/znptj



U.N. Talks But Won't Act on Genocide, Say Activists

The 15-member U.N. Security Council, which has shown a reluctance to penalize those accused of war crimes in conflict-ridden Darfur in Sudan, unanimously adopted a resolution Friday to protect civilians in armed conflicts.

http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=17789



Horror continues in Sudan's Darfur

Take a ride through southern Darfur and you will find plenty of evidence of the horrors unfolding in Sudan's war-torn region.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4962722.stm


From Information Clearing House

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The Darfur imperative

Take action now to stop the Darfur genocide:
http://www.savedarfur.org/sojourners


Informant: Martin Greenhut

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HELP STOP THE GENOCIDE

AROUND 400.000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN DARFUR

TAKE ACTION:
http://millionvoicesfordarfur.org
http://www.savedarfur.org


From InfoNature.Org

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Help Darfur: Tell Congress to pass the budget bill!

In February, as millions in funding for peacekeeping, food aid, and other vital assistance for the people of Darfur were on the line, you responded. More than 14,000 Oxfam supporters asked your Representatives to support critical amendments to the supplemental budget bill.

While the House and Senate are working through differences unrelated to Darfur funding, the process is hampering efforts to get critically-needed assistance to the people of Darfur. Please help us again -- urge Congress to take quick action.

Click here to tell Congress to vote on the supplemental budget!
http://act.oxfamamerica.org/campaign/darfur_budget

Two of the main parties to the conflict have signed a new peace agreement, and the African Union (AU) forces on the ground may be transitioned to a UN force.

However, this process may be slow. In the interim, the AU forces will need additional logistical and material resources to be able to protect the citizens of Darfur and help implement the peace agreement.

If the budget bill is not passed soon, resources to provide the people of Darfur with adequate food rations may not arrive in time, escalating the potential for severe food shortages and deteriorating health conditions throughout the region.

This is why passing the budget bill is so important in helping millions of people throughout Darfur.

President Bush has said, "The world cannot ignore the suffering of more than one million people." Tell Congress to rise to the President’s challenge by clicking here.
http://act.oxfamamerica.org/campaign/darfur_budget

Millions of Sudanese have already suffered while waiting for the international community to respond, and there is no time to lose.


Tim Fullerton
Oxfam America Advocacy Fund

* For more information on Oxfam’s work in Sudan, click here.
http://act.oxfamamerica.org/ct/r1AwXnF1pXQ0/

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As Darfur War Rages On, Disease and Hunger Kill

The brutal war in Darfur has set off what the United Nations has called the "world's worst humanitarian crisis" - a crucible of death that seems to grow grimmer despite a new peace agreement. But bullets are not killing most people here now - pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria are. And the clinics set up to treat the 35,000 people displaced by the conflict are out of money.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/053106T.shtml

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A Dying Deal in Darfur

"Most Darfurians cannot return home because the government still supports the Janjaweed militias, who continue to rape and pillage across Darfur and eastern Chad.... The specific security guarantee every Darfurian talks about is a United Nations force that will ensure the Janjaweed disarm, and that will protect refugees and help them return home," writes John Prendergast.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/071306S.shtml



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Darfur

Die meisten ALG II-Empfänger müssen deutliche Einkommensverluste hinnehmen, während ihre Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt weiter sinken.

http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/22/22172/1.html

Der letzte Safeguards-Report der IAEA wird Iran vor den UN-Sicherheitsrat bringen, es blieben Fragen offen, aber von einer unmittelbaren Bedrohung ist keine Rede.

http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/22/22184/1.html

ASHOK B SHARMA

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=119545

Not just in India, industrial poultry is the cause of the spread of the bird flu outbreak worldwide.

Several studies show that transnational poultry industry is the root cause of the problem. The spread of industrial poultry production and trade networks have created ideal conditions for the emergence and transmission of lethal viruses like the H5N1 strains of bird flu.

Inside factory farms viruses becomes lethal and multiply. Air thick with viral load from infected factory farms is carried for kilometres, while integrated trade networks spread the disease through many carriers like live birds and chicken manure.

Comparatively, the backyard poultry are not fuelling the current wave of bird flu outbreaks stalking large parts of the world. The epicentre of the outbreaks is the factory farms of China and South East Asia. While wild migratory birds can carry the virus, at least for short distances, the viruses are spread by the unhygienic factor farms, global studies said.

This situation is very true in case of the recent outbreak of bird flu in India. The epicentre of the outbreak was in 18 factory farms in and around Navapur in Maharashtra, where there are no sanctuary for migratory birds in the vicinity.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in November 2005 said, "To date, extensive testing of clinically normal migratory birds in the infected countries has not produced any positive results for H5N1 so far." Even with the current cases of H5N1 in wild birds in Europe, experts agree these birds probably contacted the virus in the Black Sea region, where H5N1 is well established in poultry, and died while heading westward to escape the unusually cold conditions.

The attributed reasons for the spread of H5N1 virus by migratory birds among geese in Qinghai Lake in north China was negated by the BirdLife International which pointed out that the lake has many surrounding poultry farms. It has also integrated fish farms where chicken faeces are commonly used as feed and manure. Besides, rail routes connect the region to the areas of bird flu outbreaks like Lanzhou.

Wild migratory birds and backyard poultry are the victims and not carrier of the disease. The geographical spread of the disease does not match with migratory routes and seasons, the BirdLife International report said.

A study done by a global organisation, Grain shows that migratory birds and backyard poultry are not effective vectors of bird flu. For example, in Malaysia, the mortality rate from H5N1 among village chicken is only
5%, indicating that the virus has a hard time spreading among small scale chicken flocks. H5N1 outbreaks in Laos, which is surrounded by infected countries, have only occurred in the nation's few factory farms, which was supplied by Thai hatcheries.

The only case of bird flu in backyard poultry, which account for over
90% of Laos production, occurred next to infected factory farms.

The lethal bird flu outbreaks took place in large factory farms in Netherlands in 2003, Japan in 2004 and Egypt in 2006. The Nigerian outbreak earlier this year occurred in a single factory farm distant from hot spots of migratory birds, but known for importing unregulated hatchable eggs.

In September 2004, Cambodian authorities noted that the source of bird flu outbreak was chicks supplied by the Thai company, Charoen Pokphand. This company dominates the feed industry and is the biggest supplier of chicks to China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey, which have witnessed bird flu outbreaks. Ukraine, where bird flu occurred, imported 12 million live birds in 2004.

Russian authorities pointed out that feed as one of the main suspected sources of an H5N1 outbreak at a large factory farm in Kurgan province.

A newsletter of e-Pharmail said the outbreak of avian flu in Maharashtra may be due to inoculating improperly cultured vaccine (inactivated viruses) in poultry, allegedly distributed by Venkateshwara Hatcheries.


Informant: Teresa Binstock

Randall Neustaedter OMD,

"Holistic Pediatric Newsletter"

30. January 2006

"Lo and behold, some doctors delay or decline to give vaccinations to their own children. A survey of Swiss doctors discovered interesting trends. Questionnaires were sent by e-mail to 2,070 Swiss physicians registered with InfoVac, a vaccination information service for doctors. Although 95 percent of pediatricians surveyed agree with vaccination recommendations and would apply them to their own children, a significant proportion of nonpediatricians often disagreed with policies and made other decisions for their own families. Nonpediatricians were twice as likely as pediatricians to deviate, for their own child, from the recommended schedule. Pediatricians were more likely to give Hib, measles, mumps, and hepatitis B vaccines to their own children than nonpediatrician parents.

For example 5 percent of nonpediatricians would not use the Hib vaccine for their own child. Their reasons for declining the use of Hib for their own children included a lack of concern about the disease and the desire to reduce vaccines to a minimum. Similarly almost 5 percent of physicians did not use the MMR vaccine in their own children. According to the authors the reasons for vaccine refusal included "the wish to avoid the trivalent combined vaccines because of safety concerns, the preference for infection-driven rather than vaccine-induced immunity, and the conviction that homeopathic treatment allows a benign outcome of measles, mumps, and rubella." Almost 10 percent of nonpediatricians would delay the initiation of DTaP vaccination beyond 6 months and 15 percent would not give the first dose of measles or MMR before 2 years of age.

These choices for physicians' own families seem to reflect the same concerns as those of other educated health care consumers. In fact the authors themselves state that concerns over safety and a reliance on other systems of healing "are frequent beliefs in the general population and that they are supported by physicians who adhere to alternative medicine concepts is not unexpected." Of the nonpediatricians 7 percent reported membership in an alternative medicine association compared with 3 percent of pediatricians.

The authors puzzle over the decisions of physicians who should apparently know better. "Despite their scientific training and education, they express the same concerns as those that prevail in the public." Perhaps there is something wrong with their scientific training if physicians are willing to reject it in favor of conclusions that accord with their own educated research.

Posfay-Barbe KM, et al. How do physicians immunize their own children? Differences among pediatricians and nonpediatricians. /Pediatrics/ 2005 (Nov); 116:e623-e633."

Source: http://cure-guide.com/Natural_Health_Newsletter/Doctors_Decline_Vaccines/doctors_decline_vaccines.html

Studie liefert Hinweise, dass viele Infektionen bei Menschen mild verlaufen / Virologen sehen kaum Infektionsgefahr durch Zugvögel

"Virologen halten die Gefahr für sehr gering, dass sich bald auch in Deutschland Menschen mit dem Vogelgrippe-Virus infizieren. Durch regelmäßige Kontrollen und Schutzmaßnahmen sollen Infektionsherde schnell erkannt und eingedämmt werden. Selbst bei einer Infektion scheint die Gefahr einer schweren Erkrankung gering zu sein. (...)"

hier weiterlesen:
http://www.aerztezeitung.de/docs/2006/01/12/004a0301.asp?cat=/news
Ärzte Zeitung, 12.01.2006


Aus: impf-report Newsletter Nr. 06/2006

Inhalt der aktuellen impf-report Ausgabe (Zeitschrift), Nov./Dez.
2005:

Was hat die Spanische Grippe, die vor fast 90 Jahren weltweit bis zu 100 Millionen Menschenleben gekostet haben soll, mit unserer heutigen Situation zu tun? Eigentlich nicht viel, denn unsere Zeit ist mit der des ersten Weltkrieges kaum vergleichbar. Doch seit kurzem wird uns diese Seuche von Wissenschaftlern und Gesundheitsbehörden als erschreckender Beweis dafür vor Augen gehalten, dass es jederzeit wieder zu einer ähnlichen globalen Pandemie kommen könne. Alles, was wir heute über Ursachen und Verlauf der Spanischen Grippe zu wissen glauben, beruht im Grunde auf widersprüchlichen Anekdoten, reinen Hypothesen und Vermutungen. Dennoch ist die gegenwärtige Wissenschaft der Ansicht, alle wesentlichen Fragen bezüglich der Ursache der Pandemie* von 1918 seien geklärt. Zu Recht?

Der amerikanische "Impf-Bürgerkrieg" von 1918 - ein vergessenes Kapitel der Medizingeschichte

Innerhalb der USA gab es 1918 heftige öffentliche Auseinandersetzungen zwischen den Verfechtern von Impfungen und ihren Gegnern. Zwar kamen keine echten Waffen zum Einsatz, dafür jedoch verbale Schusswechsel. Massenimpfungen gegen Pocken, Typhus und andere Krankheiten seien schuld am Tod von Tausenden von Soldaten, so die Impfgegner. Die Impfungen seien ein Segen für die Menschheit, hielten die Impfbefürworter dagegen. Beide Seiten warfen sich gegenseitig vor, die Kampfkraft der Armee, die sich auf den Einsatz in Europa vorbereitete, zu schwächen und dadurch vor allem dem Kriegsgegner zu helfen.

Das Ausmaß der Impfungen in den USA im Jahr 1918

Selbst den meisten Fachleuten ist nicht bewusst, dass es bereits
1918 in den USA neben der Pockenimpfung eine ganze Reihe von weiteren Impfungen gegeben hatte, die an der Bevölkerung, insbesondere den Soldaten, sogar zwangsweise vorgenommen wurden. Rekruten erhielten bis zu 6 verschiedene Impfungen und insgesamt bis zu zwei Dutzend Injektionen.

Welche Impfrisiken waren 1918 bekannt?

Im Jahr 1918 wurden in den USA die Massenimpfungen - zunächst gegen Pocken und Typhus, dann auch gegen andere Krankheiten - stark aus- geweitet. Impfkomplikationen waren alltäglich und oft tödlich. Dennoch wurden sie weder bei den Feldstudien noch während der massenhaften Anwendung systematisch erfasst und ausgewertet, so dass wir bei der Frage, was man damals über Impfrisiken wusste, auf Indizien angewiesen sind.

Die Methoden zur Durchsetzung der Massenimpfungen von 1918

Während 1918 innerhalb der US-Armee verschiedene Impfungen zwangsweise durchgeführt wurden, war die Lage im zivilen Bereich eher uneinheitlich und von Bundesstaat zu Bundesstaat, ja oft sogar von Stadt zu Stadt verschieden. Nachfolgend einige Beispiele, mit welchen Methoden die Behörden in der Praxis vorgingen.

Typhus - eine vergessene Krankheit

In unseren Breiten ist Typhus eine mehr oder weniger vergessene Krankheit. Vor 100 Jahren jedoch war er - insbesondere in Kriegs- und Notstandsgebieten - eine der größten Geißeln der Menschheit

Massenimpfungen und die Spanische Grippe

Ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Spanischen Grippe von 1918 und der zeitgleichen explosionsartigen Ausweitung von Massenimpfungen in den USA und anderen Ländern ist nach Sichtung zahlreicher zeitgenössischer Quellen naheliegend. Die Diskussion der entsprechenden Argumente wurde bereits damals von einer starken Impfgegnerfraktion in die Öffentlichkeit getragen. Wie ist dann die permanente Verharmlosung der Impfrisiken und die Leugnung eines möglichen Zusammenhangs durch Behörden und Ärztestand erklärbar?

Vogelgrippe - Gefahr für die Menschheit oder Panikmache?

Von Dr. med. Rüdiger Dahlke Zitat: "Wer jetzt auf die Panikmache mit Angst oder Betroffenheit reagiert hat, könnte sich auch mit seiner grundsätzlichen Angstbereitschaft mit einem Programm wie "Angstfrei leben" in konstruktiver Weise beschäftigen".

Die Grippe und die Grippe-Impfung 2005
von Rolf Kron, praktischer Arzt

Unter dem mittlerweile zur Monsterkrankheit des Jahrhunderts deklarierten Begriff "Grippe" fasst man leider sehr leichtfertig alle Erkrankungen zusammen, die angefangen von einer leichten Erkältung mit Fieber bis hin zum schweren grippalen Infekt - egal welchen Erregers ? in einen Suppentopf geworfen werden, umrühren, Deckel drauf, beschriften: Grippe! Fertig!

Ist Nichtimpfen ein ärztlicher Kunstfehler?
von Dr. med. Peter Frommherz

Durch das Verankern der Ständigen Impfkommission (STIKO) und ihrer Impfempfehlungen im Infektionsschutzgesetz (IfSG) sowie der Feststellung des Bundesgerichtshofs, Impfungen seien "medizinischer Standard", sehen sich Impfbefürworter in ihrer Ansicht bestätigt, es gäbe keinen Diskussionsbedarf zum Thema und Patienten nicht zu impfen sei so etwas wie ein ärztlicher Kunstfehler. Diese Interpretation beruht jedoch laut Dr. med. Peter Frommherz aus Riepsdorf u.a. auf einer unvollständigen Zitierung des BGH-Urteils. Nachfolgend zwei von ihm verfasste Leserbriefe, in denen er einige wesentliche Argumente gegen einen direkten oder indirekten Impfzwang zusammenfasst...

Weitere Infos zu dieser Ausgabe: http://www.impf-report.de/erschienen.php#20051112

3. Internationales Symposium für Ärzte, Medizinstudenten und Apotheker über die Pathogenität der Impfungen

- Samstag, 1. April 2006, CD Hotel Salzburg, 9:00 bis 17:50 Uhr

Referenten:

1. Mag. Anita Petek-Dimmer, AEGIS Schweiz "Impfstoffe - Inhalt und Entwicklung"

2. Dr. Kurt Usar, Österreich "Impfenzephalopathie - Pathologie und Immunologie"

3. Dr. August Zöbl, Österreich "Die Impfung - Artefakt des Bakteriozentrischen Weltbildes"

4. Dr. Johann Loibner, Österreich Impfkrankheit und Impfschaden aus der Sicht des Gutachters

5. Dr. Franz M. Ladstätter, Österreich "FSME-Impfung - was sie gebracht hat

Info und Anmeldung bei: AEGIS Österreich, A-8563 Ligist 89 Fon +43(0)3143 29 7313, Fax +43(0)03143 29 734 info@aegis.at

Nähere Infos im Internet: http://www.aegis.at/pathovacc_06.pdf

--------

Weitere Veranstaltungen (Auswahl)

----> 48149 Münster, 18. März 2006, Vorträge & Impfkritikertreffen
14:00 Uhr bis ca. 21:00 Uhr Vorträge Hans U. P. Tolzin "Staatsgeheimnis Impfen" und "Der Pandemie-Bluff", 19:00 Uhr Impfkritikertreffen Weitere Infos im Internet (PDF-Datei): http://www.impfkritik.de/download/vortrag-muenster.pdf

----> Gautinger Impfsymposium, 12. Mai 2006 (bei München) http://www.impfkritik.de/forum/showthread.php?t=251

----> Weitere Termine: http://www.impfkritik.de/forum/showthread.php?t=251


Aus: impf-report Newsletter Nr. 06/2006

Asia Times
by Imran Andrew Price

03/04/06

Former army captain James Yee, a West Point graduate and Muslim chaplain to 660 prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, has written an absorbing autobiography detailing his September 2003 arrest for espionage and subsequent dismissal of all charges against him. His book, written with journalist Aimee Melloym, is a searing indictment of the Bush administration's 'war on terror' by one of its many innocent victims. As we approach the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US, the American public is now becoming more aware of the high costs they are paying for the 'war in terror'...

http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC04Ak01.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Consortium News
by Alex Sabbeth

03/05/06

The new Zogby poll gauging the opinions of American troops in Iraq has drawn attention mostly because it finds that 72 percent believe the United States should withdraw in a year or less and only 23 percent favor George W. Bush's plan to 'stay the course.' But the poll also illustrates the power of propaganda. Shockingly, 85 percent of the troops questioned believe they are fighting in Iraq 'to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks' -- one of the key Iraq War myths built by Bush's frequent juxtaposition of references to Osama bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein. This subliminal message has stuck with the vast majority of U.S. troops even though Bush eventually acknowledged publicly that there is no evidence linking Saddam to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/030406a.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

AlterNet
by Onnesha Roychoudhuri

03/06/06

Since September 11th, 2001, there has been no shortage of news regarding this administration's involvement in torture, lies, secrecy and obstruction of the law. Yet, there has been little discussion in the mainstream media of holding those in power accountable for the actions so diligently catalogued by the press. It is a conspicuous vacuum that helps to explain why calls for impeachment are rapidly gaining currency. In fact, the case for the impeachment of President Bush is arguably the strongest in American history...

http://www.alternet.org/story/32977/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

--------

EXCERPT: ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT

Center for Constitutional Rights

A new book lays out four clear legal arguments that point to impeachment of President Bush as a necessary remedy for the violation of our Constitution.

http://www.alternet.org/story/32866/

Informant: Annie



Impeachment Proves Risky Political Issue

If Democratic candidate Tony Trupiano wins a Michigan House seat this fall, he pledges that one of his first acts will be to introduce articles of impeachment against President Bush.

http://tinyurl.com/nzu3u


From Information Clearing House




http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=impeach
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=impeach

Betr.: Militärische Optionen in der Iran-Krise

Wir sind in großer Sorge, dass die gegenwärtige Politik der deutschen Regierung nicht zu einer friedlichen Lösung der Krise im Nahen und Mittleren Osten beiträgt, sondern die gefährliche Eskalation bis hin zum Ausbruch eines Krieges hinnimmt oder gar verstärkt. Mit Bestürzung hören wir, dass nicht nur die US-Regierung mit ihrer veränderten Doktrin (Nuclear Posture Review, 2002), sondern jetzt auch der französische Präsident den Einsatz von Atomwaffen gegen "Terrorstaaten" androht – mit ausdrücklicher Billigung der deutschen Bundeskanzlerin.

Wir wenden uns an Sie als unsere/n parlamentarische/n Vertreter/in, da wir von Ihnen ein entschiedenes Eintreten gegen solch eine verhängnisvolle Entwicklung erhoffen. Wir bitten Sie um die Beantwortung folgender Fragen:

Auf die bloße Befürchtung einer zukünftigen iranischen Atombewaffnung hin – die bisher von der IAEO nicht bestätigt wurde - wird in Verletzung der negativen Sicherheitsgarantien der Atomwaffenstaaten im Rahmen des NVV (Nichtverbreitungsvertrag zu Atomwaffen) von zwei unserer NATO-Partner mit dem nuklearen Erstschlag gedroht. Was werden Sie und Ihre Fraktion zur Abwendung dieser Gefahr eines Atomkrieges tun?

Der Bundesverwaltungsgericht hat die Verfassungswidrigkeit der Nutzung von US-Stützpunkten in Deutschland für einen Angriffskrieg festgestellt. Trotzdem erwarten viele Beobachter - anders als beim Angriff auf den Irak - im Falle eines Krieges gegen Iran eine willige Unterstützung durch die deutsche Bundesregierung. Unsere Frage daher an Sie: Wie würden Sie und Ihre Fraktion im Falle einer dann nötigen parlamentarischen Entscheidung abstimmen? Können wir damit rechnen, dass Sie einer Beteiligung der Bundeswehr an einem Militäreinsatz sowie der logistischen Unterstützung für andere am Krieg beteiligte Armeen widersprechen?

Deutschland trägt mit seiner Lieferung von potenziell atomwaffenfähigen U-Booten an Israel wesentlich zu der Gefahr eines nuklearen Wettrüstens in der Region bei. Welche Möglichkeiten sehen Sie bzw. Ihre Fraktion, den Stopp der Waffenlieferung in dieses Krisengebiet zu erreichen?

Der nukleare Nichtverbreitungvertrag (NVV) verpflichtet die 5 darin anerkannten Atomwaffenstaaten zur Abschaffung ihrer Atomwaffen. Diese rechtsverbindliche Verpflichtung wird von den Nuklearwaffenmächten offen missachtet, Verhandlungen über die weitere konkrete Umsetzung des Vertrages sind im vorigen Sommer gescheitert. Was gedenken Sie zu tun, um dieses für unsere sichere Zukunft so wichtige Vertragswerk zu retten und gegenüber unseren westlichen Alliierten auf dessen Einhaltung zu drängen?

Aus unserer Sicht dringend nötig ist eine regionale Friedenslösung, die sowohl Israel als auch Iran sowie den anderen betroffenen Nationen Sicherheit garantieren muss. Dazu soll in jedem Fall die von der UNO schon lange geforderte atomwaffenfreie Zone im Nahen und Mittleren Osten gehören. Sind Sie und Ihre Fraktion bereit, sich für die Einberufung einer Konferenz für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in dieser Region einzusetzen, um diese Ziele voranzubringen und zu erreichen?

Über einen direkten Dialog zu Möglichkeiten der friedlichen Lösung der in der Region bestehenden Konflikte sowie über die Konfliktursachen würden wir uns freuen.

In Anbetracht der ungeheuren Gefahren, die diese Situation birgt, und angesichts der täglichen Zuspitzung der Lage, bitten wir Sie um eine Antwort innerhalb der nächsten zwei Wochen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

--------

Betr.: Bitte um Unterzeichnung des Aufrufs "Keinen Krieg gegen den Iran - für eine politische Lösung!" und Beteiligung an der Veröffentlichung als Anzeige

von: Bundesausschuss Friedensratschlag, Kooperation für den Frieden, Netzwerk Friedenskooperative

Liebe Freundinnen und Freunde, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

die diplomatischen Aktivitäten, vor und hinter den Kulissen, um das Thema des iranischen Atomprogramms können nicht verbergen, dass sie von wichtigen Mächten wohl nur als Vorspiel einer neuen Ausweitung und Eskalation des verhängnisvollen Kriegs im Mittleren Osten gedacht sind, mit völlig unabsehbaren Konsequenzen.

Eine nicht neue, aber nach wie vor gültige Erkenntnis der Friedensbewegung ist, dass solch existenzielle Fragen nicht den PolitikerInnen allein überlassen werden können, sondern gerade hier eine deutlich wahrnehmbare Einmischung der BürgerInnen und ihrer Bewegungen unverzichtbar ist. Wichtig ist uns, bei aller Pluralität unserer Organisationen, Initiativen und persönlichen Sichtweisen an entscheidenden Wegmarken gemeinsame Positionen zu formulieren und deutlich wahrnehmbar an die Öffentlichkeit zu bringen.

Wir haben in den letzten Wochen und Tagen Informationsveranstaltungen in den Städten und Regionen initiiert, Appelle an die zentral beteiligten Regierungen und an den UN-Generalsekretär verfasst und übermittelt und haben begonnen, die Bundestagsabgeordneten mit unseren kritischen Fragen zu konfrontieren.

Als eine weitere zentrale, überregional wahrnehmbare Willensbekundung gegen die drohende Eskalation und für eine zivile Lösung der internationalen Krise legen wir Euch/Ihnen im Anhang einen bereits von einigen prominenten KriegsgegnerInnen unterstützten Aufruf vor, den wir als Appell an die Bundesregierung in der ersten Märzhälfte vor dem Aktionstag 18.03. in der Frankfurter Rundschau in Form einer gemeinsamen Annonce der Kooperation für den Frieden und des Bundesausschusses Friedensratschlag veröffentlichen wollen.

Hierzu bitten wir um Ihre und Eure Unterschrift und finanzielle Unterstützung, sei es als Organisation, als Friedensgruppe oder als Einzelperson möglichst bis zum 10. März per E-Mail an: iranaufruf@koop-frieden.de .

Freundliche Grüße

Matthias Jochheim (Kooperation für den Frieden)
Mani Stenner (Netzwerk Friedenskooperative)
Dr. Peter Strutynski (Bundesausschuss Friedensratschlag)


Rückmeldecoupon: Bitte möglichst nur diesen Abschnitt senden an: iranaufruf@koop-frieden.de

Bitte ankreuzen und ausfüllen:

Ich/wir unterzeichne/n den Aufruf "Keinen Krieg gegen Iran - für eine politische Lösung!" und bin/sind mit der Veröffentlichung einverstanden. Ich/wir unterzeichne/n:
( ) als Gruppe/Organisation
( ) als Einzelperson

Organisation oder ggf. Funktion:

Vorname: Name: Strasse: PLZ : Ort: Email:

Spende :
( ) Ich/wir beteilige/n mich/uns an der Anzeigenaktion und spende/n ______ € auf Das Konto Förderverein Frieden e.V., Konto-Nr. 33 0 35 bei Sparkasse Bonn (BLZ 380 500 00) mit Stichwort: Iranaufruf


Keinen Krieg gegen den Iran - für eine politische Lösung!

Die USA scheinen entschlossen, gegen den Iran einen Luftkrieg zu führen. Diesmal könnte es Washington gelingen, die EU vor ihren Kriegskarren zu spannen, wenn sich nicht die Bürgerinnen und Bürger dagegen zur Wehr setzen. Wir lehnen mit aller Entschiedenheit einen neuen Krieg ab. Selbst wenn Teheran Atomwaffen anstrebte, die wir ebenso ablehnen, könnte der Iran auf absehbare Zeit niemanden mit Atomwaffen bedrohen, ungeachtet aller verbaler Attacken des iranischen Präsidenten Ahmadinedschad, die wir scharf verurteilen. Eine friedliche politische Lösung ist also durchaus möglich. Die Vereinigten Staaten nutzen jedoch die iranischen Atomanlagen nur als Anlass für viel weiter reichende Ziele:

- Der Iran soll zu einer unbedeutenden Macht zurückgebombt werden, um Amerikas Vormachtstellung im Mittleren Osten weiter auszubauen. Deshalb ist zu befürchten, dass außer Atomanlagen auch die Infrastruktur des Landes, wie 1991 im Irak, wichtige Versorgungseinrichtungen wie Ölraffinerien und militärische Ziele bombardiert werden sollen.

- Durch Chaos und Zusammenbruch der Versorgung sollen Revolten der iranischen Bevölkerung mit all ihren ethnischen Minderheiten provoziert und das Islamische Regime durch ein US-freundliches ersetzt werden. Nachdem sie in Afghanistan und Irak militärisch präsent sind, zielen die USA auf die vollständige Kontrolle der Ölquellen und Transportrouten im gesamten Mittleren Osten.

Die US-Regierung scheut wegen eigener Hegemonialinteressen nicht davor zurück, den Weltfrieden zu gefährden und einen Flächenbrand in der Region zu riskieren. Ein Krieg gegen Iran hätte fatale Konsequenzen nicht nur für die Völker im Mittleren und Nahen Osten, sondern auch für Europa. Neue ethnische Konflikte, Bürgerkrieg zwischen Sunniten und Schiiten im Irak, Verwicklung Saudi-Arabiens und Syriens sind sehr wahrscheinlich. Es muss auch mit der Blockade der Öltransportrouten und rasant steigenden Ölpreisen gerechnet werden. Nur Arbeitslosigkeit und Attentate hätten Konjunktur.

Nach den vielen Lügen Washingtons zur Rechtfertigung des Angriffskrieges gegen den Irak braucht die US-Regierung für einen Krieg gegen Iran die moralische Legitimation, wenn nicht gar die Unterstützung der EU-Staaten. Diese Legitimation und Unterstützung darf es nicht geben!

Wir rufen daher Alle auf, sich mit Demonstrationen, Kundgebungen und Resolutionen gegen den geplanten Angriffskrieg der USA zu wehren. Wir, als ein Teil des weltweiten Protestes, wenden uns auch gegen die Drohung mit Krieg als dem sogenannten "letzten Mittel". Krieg ist der große Terror. Wir wollen jedoch Deeskalation, Nichtangriffsgarantien und Gewaltverzicht.

Von der Bundesregierung und der Bundeskanzlerin fordern wir mit Nachdruck:

- Unterlassen Sie jegliche Droheskalation, die unweigerlich in einen Krieg einmündet. Schließen Sie jede deutsche Unterstützung für einen Krieg gegen den Iran und erst recht eine deutsche Beteiligung daran unmissverständlich und grundsätzlich aus. Setzen Sie sich auch innerhalb der EU hierfür ein.

- Treten Sie ein für die Bildung einer Langzeit-Konferenz für Sicherheit und regionale Zusammenarbeit im Mittleren und Nahen Osten, die auch das Ziel verfolgt, dort - wie in der IAEO-Resolution vom 04.02.2006 hervorgehoben - eine Atomwaffenfreie Zone zu errichten, die Israel einschließt. Unternehmen Sie dafür schon jetzt erste Schritte.

- Treten Sie dafür ein, dass Atomwaffenstaaten ihre Verpflichtung zur Abrüstung ihrer Atomarsenale gemäß Artikel VI des Nuklearen Nichtverbreitungsvertrags endlich erfüllen.

ErstunterzeichnerInnen: Aachener Friedenspreis e.V., Franz Alt, Bundesausschuss Friedensratschlag, Andreas Buro, Angelika Claussen, Hans-Peter Dürr, Ulrich Gottstein, Internationale Ärzte für die Verhütung des Atomkrieges - Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung e.V. (IPPNW - dt. Sektion, der Vorstand), Heiko Kauffmann, Kooperation für den Frieden, Mohssen Massarrat, Oskar Negt, Netzwerk Friedenskooperative, Bernhard Nolz, Horst-Eberhard Richter, Horst Schmitthenner, Hans Christoph von Sponeck, Mani Stenner, Peter Strutynski, Frank Uhe, Reinhard Voss, Peter Wahl, Konstantin Wecker.

Presserechtlich verantwortlich: Andreas Buro / Mohssen Massarrat

Unterschriften mit Beteiligung an den Kosten für die Veröffentlichung als Zeitungsanzeige (Einzelpersonen mind. 20,- EUR; Gruppen/Organisationen mind. 50,- EUR) bitte senden an die Kooperation für den Frieden, c/o Netzwerk Friedenskooperative, Römerstr. 88, 53111 Bonn, Tel. 0228/692904, Fax: 0228/692906, per E-Mail an: iranaufruf@koop-frieden.de

Spendenkonto: Förderverein Frieden e.V. Konto-Nr. 33035 bei Sparkasse Bonn (BLZ 380 500 00), Stichwort: Iranaufruf

Eine gemeinsame Aktion des Bundesausschuss Friedensratschlag und der Kooperation für den Frieden

In mid-June 2003, when former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's criticism against the White House's use of pre-war Iraq intelligence started to make national headlines, Vice President Dick Cheney told his former chief of staff and close confidant I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to leak classified intelligence data on Iraq's nuclear ambitions to a legendary Washington journalist in order to undercut the charges made against the Bush administration by the former ambassador.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030606Z.shtml

Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert has used a House of Commons Debate to raise the issue of mobile phone masts. Speaking from the front bench in a Debate on David Curry MP's Telecommunications Masts (Planning Control) Bill on Friday (March 3), Mr Herbert said: "I, too, will be very brief. Like other hon Members, I should like to hear what the Minister has to say about the Bill. I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr Curry) on introducing the Bill. Mobile phones are important to all our lives, but the growth in their use has, of course, been phenomenal. There are more than 62 million mobile phone subscribers now, compared with 9 million when the Government first came to power in 1997, and 85 per cent. of households now have mobile phones. "The background to the Bill is a concern of which all hon Members are aware from their constituencies. In the eyes of our constituents, masts can affect people's health, particularly when they are sited close to schools and medical facilities, without any proper consultation with local communities. As my right hon Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon and other Members have explained, the problem is that the siting of such masts is effectively outside the planning process. No proper consultation with communities therefore takes place and people feel disfranchised from the decisions that are taken. The Government's own expert committee urged that a precautionary approach be taken to the siting of masts. That is reflected in the Bill, which would ensure that new masts—not existing ones—would be subject to full planning permission and that health considerations could be taken into account when applications were considered. "The precise detail of the proposals will need to be examined and scrutinised—I hope in Committee. We will need to consider their impact on the number of applications and the extension of 3G coverage. The number of planning applications would certainly increase. All those aspects can be dealt with. "The principle of the Bill—that local communities should be properly consulted over the location of masts—must be right. For too long there has been a creeping attitude that the Government know best and a process whereby too many decisions are, in effect, taken out of local control and away from local communities. We have seen that in a number of areas of our lives where the say of local communities has been taken away and responsibility has been moved to a regional level—in relation to the police service, the fire service, planning decisions and so on—or to Government. The idea that it is wrong to consult local communities and involve them in such decisions and that no objections to the siting of masts may be brooked simply because the Government have judged that mobile phones are good for us all is profoundly anti-democratic. "The Labour manifesto for the last election stated, perfectly reasonably: "People want a sense of control over their own neighbourhood." "If that is to be adhered to and applied, the Government should support the principle behind the Bill and at least be willing to examine the Bill and discuss with us in Committee how it might operate. "Concern about the issue will grow. One suggestion is that 3G technology will require up to four times as many masts as at present. That would mean 135,000 more masts in the country—more than 200 for every constituency. The issue will not go away and it is no longer acceptable to sweep the concerns of local people aside. We must be capable of achieving a sensible balance. "I have left plenty of time in which the Minister can respond without talking out the Bill. If he is still speaking at 2.30 pm, the House will know that the Government's real intention is not to support the Bill. The Bill has had support from hon. Members on both sides of the House and I hope that the Government will therefore allow it to go into Committee so that it can be discussed further."

06 March 2006

All rights reserved © 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing.


http://www.horshamonline.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=507&ArticleID=1375490

ACTION PAGE: http://www.millionphonemarch.com/wiretap_hearing.php

On March 7, the Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a vote on whether to investigate the domestic wiretaps that the president has already admitted were performed in defiance of the FISA court.

Bill Frist has now threatened to restructure the Senate Intelligence Committee itself to strip it of oversight responsibility if it even dares to investigate the president's dictatorial violations of the law.

It is critically important that we speak out now to make sure justice prevails in this very winnable fight. With the votes against him three weeks ago, senator Roberts has already once unilaterally blocked a vote on this matter. We must raise every voice to make sure they know the people will not let them get away with it again.

ACTION PAGE: http://www.millionphonemarch.com/wiretap_hearing.php

Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this message to everyone else you know.

Powered by The People's Email Network Copyright 2006, Patent pending, All rights reserved

„Wie viel Geld braucht der Mensch zu einem anständigen Leben?

Einerseits haben wir in Deutschland ein komfortables Durchschnittseinkommen von fast 30.000 Euro brutto im Jahr, andererseits müssen immer mehr Menschen für 4, 5, 6 Euro die Stunde arbeiten. Das Land führt eine hitzige Debatte um Billigjobs und Mindestlöhne. Ist der gesetzliche Mindestlohn nun ein Garant gegen unwürdige Löhne oder Arbeitsplatz- Vernichtungsinstrument? Wenn es mal so einfach wäre. Unsere Kollegen Jan Bergrath und Reinhard Laska haben sich als Beispiel einmal den großen Bereich der Postzustellung angesehen - einst der Hort einer gesicherten Existenz. Heute machen dort private Firmen der Post Konkurrenz, mit Preisen, die nur durch gnadenlos niedrige Löhne möglich werden. Löhne, die zum Teil unter Hartz IV-Niveau liegen…“ Manuskript der Frontal21-Sendung vom 28. Februar 2006 von Jan Bergrath, Reinhard Laska beim ZDF.

http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/download/0,1896,2003096,00.pdf


Aus: LabourNet, 6. März 2006

Urabstimmung nach Einigung von IG Metall und Electrolux über die Schließung des Nürnberger AEG-Werks. Viele Streikende sind sauer. Ein Interview von Wera Richter mit Peter Hober (Name von der Redaktion geändert), Bandarbeiter im Nürnberger AEG-Werk für Hausgerätefertigung, in junge Welt vom 06.03.2006.

http://www.jungewelt.de/2006/03-06/005.php


Aus: LabourNet, 6. März 2006

6. März 2006 09:23

Die Deutschen telefonieren drei Mal mehr über das Festnetz als mit dem Handy. Zwar haben fast 90 Prozent der Bundesbürger ein Mobiltelefon, doch im Vergleich zu den europäischen Nachbarn nutzen sie es wesentlich weniger.

Deutsche Handy-Besitzer telefonieren der Untersuchung zufolge etwa 45 Minuten im Monat mobil, Engländer 88 Minuten und Franzosen 144 Minuten. Während in Spanien zwei Drittel aller Telefongespräche über das Handy geführt werden, sind es in Deutschland nicht einmal ein Viertel.

Grund dafür sind laut einer Studie der Unternehmensberatung Mercer die hohen Kosten: In Deutschland kostete im Jahr 2004 eine Minute Mobilfunk im Durchschnitt fünf Mal so viel, in Frankreich nur knapp doppelt so viel wie das Festnetz. Die Mobilfunkanbieter verdienten im Jahr 2004 in Deutschland rund 290 Euro pro Kunde, im übrigen Europa durchschnittlich 360 Euro. (dcn)

http://www.xonio.com/news/news_18915781.html?tid1=7400&tid2=0

This weekend, Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) is hosting a $5,000-per-person gathering — which invitations said would feature golf, fishing, snorkeling and "much, much more" — in the Florida Keys. McKeon anticipated that many of the guests would be lobbyists.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12200.htm

The Prime Minister claims to be defending liberty but a barely noticed Bill will rip the heart out of parliamentary democracy.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12206.htm

All nation-states operate in their own interests, of course. But American disregard for the law, and the moral and political inconsistency of its foreign policy, has hit a new low under George W. Bush.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12199.htm

Matewan Revisited

By Charles Sullivan

The history of America is the chronicle of class struggle. The current fight is the same fight that working class people have always waged. In the past there were three distinct classes: the upper class, the middle class and the underclass. The middle class is rapidly melding with the under class, leaving us with essentially two socioeconomic classes. In essence, what remain are the rich and the poor. The chasm between rich and poor has never been wider and it is growing every year.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12207.htm

By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN and JOHN SOLOMON

Despite the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of public trials, nearly all records are being kept secret for more than 5,000 defendants who completed their journey through the federal courts over the last three years. Instances of such secrecy more than doubled from 2003 to 2005.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12201.htm

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/4191/


Informant: jensenmk

From ufpj-news

AFP March 3, 2006

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/03/060303193233.kbj9sqm0.html

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said it saw unprecedented signs pointing to a looming La Nina, a phenomenon that originates off the western coast of South America but can disrupt weather patterns in many parts of the globe.

In a press release, the Geneva-based agency said temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific had been between 0.5 and 1.0 C (0.9 and 1.8 F) below normal since the start of the 2006.

"Combined with broader tropical Pacific ocean and atmosphere conditions, this is consistent with the early stages of a basin-wide La Nina event," it said.

"(...) It is unprecedented in the historical record for a La Nina of substantial intensity or duration to develop so early in the year."

La Nina, which has the opposite effects to the more notorious El Nino, last occurred from mid-1998 to early 2001.

Under La Nina, the sea-surface temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific falls below normal.

This typically brings far dryer weather to the southwestern United States, Florida and western Latin America and above-average rainfall to Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

But there can also be a knock-on much further afield, with an increase to monsoon rainfall in South Asia, unusual coolness in tropical West Africa, Southeast Africa, Japan and the Korean peninsula.

La Nina usually lasts nine to 12 months, although "some episodes may persist for as long as two years," the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says on its website.

The WMO sounded a note of caution.

The buildup of this La Nina was so exceptionally swift and intense that it was impossible at the moment to infer what the impact would be, and how long the phenomenon would last, it warned.

"Most models and expert interpretations favour the event dissipating quite rapidly over the next three to six months," the UN's weather agency said.

"Nonetheless, neither a continuation of La Nina beyond mid-year, nor the development of El Nino in the second half of 2006, can be ruled out as possible outcomes from the current prevailing situation."

El Nino, which last ran from 2002-3, occurs when warm water builds up in the western tropical Pacific and creeps eastwards, again causing huge disruption to classic patterns of rainfall and wind.

Both El Nino and La Nina are naturally occurring cycles, although there is much speculation among climate scientists that man-made global warming may make them more frequent and more vicious and that this trend may have already started.

El Nino means "the little boy" in Spanish. Its name is attributed to fishermen off the coast of South America who noted the appearance of warmer water, often around Christmas. La Nina means "the little girl."


Informant: NHNE

By Dan Eggen Charles Lane and researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

Washington Post

Sunday, March 5, 2006; A01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/04/AR2006030400867_pf.html

The Bush administration, seeking to limit leaks of classified information, has launched initiatives targeting journalists and their possible government sources. The efforts include several FBI probes, a polygraph investigation inside the CIA and a warning from the Justice Department that reporters could be prosecuted under espionage laws.

In recent weeks, dozens of employees at the CIA, the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies have been interviewed by agents from the FBI's Washington field office, who are investigating possible leaks that led to reports about secret CIA prisons and the NSA's warrantless domestic surveillance program, according to law enforcement and intelligence officials familiar with the two cases.

Numerous employees at the CIA, FBI, Justice Department and other agencies also have received letters from Justice prohibiting them from discussing even unclassified issues related to the NSA program, according to sources familiar with the notices. Some GOP lawmakers are also considering whether to approve tougher penalties for leaking.

In a little-noticed case in California, FBI agents from Los Angeles have already contacted reporters at the Sacramento Bee about stories published in July that were based on sealed court documents related to a terrorism case in Lodi, according to the newspaper.

Some media watchers, lawyers and editors say that, taken together, the incidents represent perhaps the most extensive and overt campaign against leaks in a generation, and that they have worsened the already-tense relationship between mainstream news organizations and the White House.

"There's a tone of gleeful relish in the way they talk about dragging reporters before grand juries, their appetite for withholding information, and the hints that reporters who look too hard into the public's business risk being branded traitors," said New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller, in a statement responding to questions from The Washington Post. "I don't know how far action will follow rhetoric, but some days it sounds like the administration is declaring war at home on the values it professes to be promoting abroad."

President Bush has called the NSA leak "a shameful act" that was "helping the enemy," and said in December that he was hopeful the Justice Department would conduct a full investigation into the disclosure.

"We need to protect the right to free speech and the First Amendment, and the president is doing that," said White House spokesman Trent Duffy. "But, at the same time, we do need to protect classified information which helps fight the war on terror."

Disclosing classified information without authorization has long been against the law, yet such leaks are one of the realities of life in Washington -- accounting for much of the back-channel conversation that goes on daily among journalists, policy intellectuals, and current and former government officials.

Presidents have also long complained about leaks: Richard Nixon's infamous "plumbers" were originally set up to plug them, and he tried, but failed, to prevent publication of a classified history of the Vietnam War called the Pentagon Papers. Ronald Reagan exclaimed at one point that he was "up to my keister" in leaks.

Bush administration officials -- who complain that reports about detainee abuse, clandestine surveillance and other topics have endangered the nation during a time of war -- have arguably taken a more aggressive approach than other recent administrations, including a clear willingness to take on journalists more directly if necessary.

"Almost every administration has kind of come in saying they want an open administration, and then getting bad press and fuming about leaks," said David Greenberg, a Rutgers University journalism professor and author of "Nixon's Shadow." "But it's a pretty fair statement to say you haven't seen this kind of crackdown on leaks since the Nixon administration."

But David B. Rivkin Jr., a partner at Baker & Hostetler in Washington and a senior lawyer in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, said the leaking is "out of control," especially given the unique threat posed by terrorist groups.

"We're at the end of this paradigm where we had this sort of gentlemen's agreement where you had leaks and journalists were allowed to protect the leakers," Rivkin said. "Everyone is playing Russian roulette now."

At Langley, the CIA's security office has been conducting numerous interviews and polygraph examinations of employees in an effort to discover whether any of them have had unauthorized contact with journalists. CIA Director Porter J. Goss has spoken about the issue at an "all hands" meeting of employees, and sent a recent cable to the field aimed at discouraging media contacts and reminding employees of the penalties for disclosing classified information, according to intelligence sources and people in touch with agency officials.

"It is my aim, and it is my hope, that we will witness a grand jury investigation with reporters present being asked to reveal who is leaking this information," Goss told a Senate committee.

The Justice Department also argued in a court filing last month that reporters can be prosecuted under the 1917 Espionage Act for receiving and publishing classified information. The brief was filed in support of a case against two pro-Israeli lobbyists, who are the first nongovernment officials to be prosecuted for receiving and distributing classified information.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said last month that he is considering legislation that would criminalize the leaking of a wider range of classified information than what is now covered by law. The measure would be similar to earlier legislation that was vetoed by President Bill Clinton in 2000 and opposed by then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft in 2002.

But the vice chairman of the same committee, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV
(D-W.Va.), complained in a letter to the national intelligence director last month that "damaging revelations of intelligence sources and methods are generated primarily by Executive Branch officials pushing a particular policy, and not by the rank-and-file employees of the intelligence agencies."

As evidence, Rockefeller points to the case of Valerie Plame, a CIA officer whose identity was leaked to the media. A grand jury investigation by Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald resulted last year in the jailing of Judith Miller, then a reporter at the New York Times, for refusing to testify, and in criminal charges against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who resigned as Vice President Cheney's chief of staff. In court papers, Libby has said that his "superiors" authorized him to disclose a classified government report.

The New York Times, which first disclosed the NSA program in December, and The Post, which reported on secret CIA prisons in November, said investigators have not contacted reporters or editors about those articles.

Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of The Post, said there has long been a "natural and healthy tension between government and the media" on national security issues, but that he is "concerned" about comments by Goss and others that appear to reflect a more aggressive stance by the government. Downie noted that The Post had at times honored government requests not to report particularly sensitive information, such as the location of CIA prisons in Eastern Europe.

"We do not want to inadvertently threaten human life or legitimately harm national security in our reporting," he said. "But it's important . . . in our constitutional system that these final decisions be made by newspaper editors and not the government."

In Sacramento, the Bee newspaper reported last month that FBI agents had contacted two of its reporters and, along with a federal prosecutor, had "questioned" a third reporter about articles last July detailing the contents of sealed court documents about five terrorism suspects. A Bee article on the contacts did not address whether the reporters supplied the agents with any information or whether they were subject to subpoenas.

Executive Editor Rick Rodriguez said last week he could not comment based on the advice of newspaper attorneys. Representatives of the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, which is conducting the inquiry, also declined to comment.

CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise Dyck declined to discuss details of the leak investigations there but said they were being conducted independently of the White House and were not aimed at pressuring journalists.

In prosecuting a former Defense Department analyst and two pro-Israel lobbyists for allegedly spreading sensitive national security information about U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Bush administration is making use of a statute whose origins lie in the first anxious days of World War I.

The Espionage Act makes it a crime for a government official with access to "national defense information" to communicate it intentionally to any unauthorized person. A 1950 amendment aimed at Soviet spying broadened the law, forbidding an unauthorized recipient of the information to pass it on, or even to keep it to himself.

Lawyers for American Israel Public Affairs Committee staff members Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman say the vagueness of the statute makes the Justice Department's prosecution of their clients unconstitutional. One count of the indictment specifically charges them with passing "classified national defense information" to a member of the media in 2004.

The Justice Department said "there plainly is no exemption" for the media under the Espionage Act, but added, "a prosecution under the espionage laws of an actual member of the press for publishing classified information leaked to it by a government source would raise legitimate and serious issues and would not be undertaken lightly, indeed, the fact that there has never been such a prosecution speaks for itself."


Informant: NHNE

BBC News

March 6, 2006

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4777214.stm

Amnesty International has said that thousands of detainees held by the multinational forces in Iraq are still being denied their basic rights.

The group said the lessons of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal appeared to have been ignored and reports of torture continued to "pour out of Iraq".

It said it based its findings on interviews with former inmates.

US and British officials insist that prisoners are treated in accordance with international standards.

The report says the multinational forces and Iraqi authorities must take urgent steps to stop human rights abuses if there is to be any hope of halting Iraq's slide towards increasing violence and sectarianism.

Amnesty says in its 48-page report that thousands of Iraqis are being held without charge or trial.

More than 200 detainees have been imprisoned for more than two years and nearly 4,000 for over a year, it reports.

"To hold this huge number of people without basic legal safeguards is a gross dereliction of responsibility on the part of both the US and UK forces," said its UK director, Kate Allen.

'Chilling signs'

The report mentions the case of one detainee, Kamal Muhammad, a 43-year-old father of 11 held without charge by US forces for over two years.

"His brother reports that he has received insufficient food and has lost some 20 kilos in weight in prison," Amnesty says.

Other prisoners were released "without explanation or apology or reparation after months in detention".

There has also been increasing evidence of torture of detainees by the Iraqi security forces, despite various scandals and promises of investigation and proper treatment.

Former detainees told Amnesty they had been beaten with plastic cables, given electric shocks and made to stand in a flooded room as an electrical current was passed through the water.

Ms Allen compared the current situation to the earlier scandal which broke when photos were released showing US guards abusing detainees at the Baghdad prison.

"There are chilling signs that the lessons of Abu Ghraib have not been learnt," she said.

"Not only prisoners being held in defiance of international law but the allegations of torture continue to pour out of Iraq."

Detentions defended

According to the US military, each detainee is given a form explaining the reasons for their imprisonment and their files are reviewed every 90 to 120 days.

The British Ministry of Defence said allegations of wrongdoing were always taken seriously and international observers were invited into its detention centres.

It said that the Red Cross was informed of each detention within 24 hours and the detainee's family was also notified.

Britain had "no interest in interning individuals in Iraq other than to protect Iraqi security personnel and civilians, and British servicemen and women, from attack", an MoD spokeswoman told The Associated Press.


AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT: http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGMDE140052006


Informant: NHNE

By Ben Russell and Nigel Morris
The Independent
February 28, 2006

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article348196.ece

Across the world, they are coming: the water wars. From Israel to India, from Turkey to Botswana, arguments are going on over disputed water supplies that may soon burst into open conflict.

Yesterday, Britain's Defence Secretary, John Reid, pointed to the factor hastening the violent collision between a rising world population and a shrinking world water resource: global warming.

In a grim first intervention in the climate-change debate, the Defence Secretary issued a bleak forecast that violence and political conflict would become more likely in the next 20 to 30 years as climate change turned land into desert, melted ice fields and poisoned water supplies.

Climate campaigners echoed Mr Reid's warning, and demanded that ministers redouble their efforts to curb carbon emissions.

Tony Blair will today host a crisis Downing Street summit to address what he called "the major long-term threat facing our planet", signalling alarm within Government at the political consequences of failing to deal with the spectre of global warming.

Activists are modelling their campaign on last year's Make Poverty History movement in the hope of creating immense popular pressure for action on climate change.

Mr Reid used a speech at Chatham House last night to deliver a stark assessment of the potential impact of rising temperatures on the political and human make-up of the world. He listed climate change alongside the major threats facing the world in future decades, including international terrorism, demographic changes and global energy demand.

Mr Reid signalled Britain's armed forces would have to be prepared to tackle conflicts over dwindling resources. Military planners have already started considering the potential impact of global warming for Britain's armed forces over the next 20 to 30 years. They accept some climate change is inevitable, and warn Britain must be prepared for humanitarian disaster relief, peacekeeping and warfare to deal with the dramatic social and political consequences of climate change.

Mr Reid warned of increasing uncertainty about the future of the countries least well equipped to deal with flooding, water shortages and valuable agricultural land turning to desert.

He said climate change was already a contributory factor in conflicts in Africa.

Mr Reid said: "As we look beyond the next decade, we see uncertainty growing; uncertainty about the geopolitical and human consequences of climate change.

"Impacts such as flooding, melting permafrost and desertification could lead to loss of agricultural land, poisoning of water supplies and destruction of economic infrastructure.

"More than 300 million people in Africa currently lack access to safe water; climate change will worsen this dire situation."

He added: "These changes are not just of interest to the geographer or the demographer; they will make scarce resources, clean water, viable agricultural land even scarcer.

"Such changes make the emergence of violent conflict more rather than less likely... The blunt truth is that the lack of water and agricultural land is a significant contributory factor to the tragic conflict we see unfolding in Darfur. We should see this as a warning sign."

Tony Juniper, the executive director of Friends of the Earth, said: "The science of global warming is becoming ever more certain about the scale of the problem we have, and now the implications of that for security and politics is beginning to emerge."

He said the problems could be most acute in the Middle East and North Africa.

Charlie Kornick, head of climate campaigning at the pressure group Greenpeace, said billions of people faced pressure on water supplies due to climate change across Africa, Asia and South America. He said: "If politicians realise how serious the problems could be, why are British CO2 emissions still going up?"

Tony Blair will be joined by the Chancellor Gordon Brown, the Environment Secretary, Margaret Beckett, and the International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn, at today's talks in Downing Street.

They will be meeting representatives of the recently created Stop Climate Chaos, an alliance of environmental groups including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Oxfam. It will also meet opposition parties.

The alliance will call for the Government to commit itself to achieving a 3 per cent annual fall in carbon dioxide emissions.

...........

THE FACTS By Mike McCarthy

* On our watery planet, 97.5 per cent of water is salt water, unfit for human use.

* Most of the fresh water is locked in the ice caps.

* The recommended basic water requirement per person per day is 50 litres. But people can get by with about 30 litres: 5 litres for food and drink and another 25 for hygiene.

* Some countries use less than 10 litres per person per day. Gambia uses
4.5, Mali 8, Somalia 8.9, and Mozambique 9.3.

* By contrast the average US citizen uses 500 litres per day, and the British average is 200.

* In the West, it takes about eight litres to brush our teeth, 10 to 35 litres to flush a lavatory, and 100 to 200 litres to take a shower.

* The litres of water needed to produce a kilo of:

Potatoes 1,000 Maize 1,400 Wheat 1,450 Chicken 4,600 Beef 42,500


Informant: NHNE

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/4193/


Informant: jensenmk

From ufpj-news

http://tinyurl.com/poop6


Informant: Lew Rockwell

TV-Tipp: Strippenzieher und Hinterzimmer

Betrifft: Strippenzieher und Hinterzimmer -Meinungsmacher im Berliner Medienzirkus. Ein Film von Thomas Leif und Julia Salden
6. März 2006, 22:35-23:20 Uhr im SWR
8. März, 23:00-23:45 im NDR (Zapp Spezial)

“Strippenzieher und Hinterzimmer” zeigt, wie Journalismus in der Hauptstadt gemacht wird, wer welche Informationen “platziert” und welche Interessen im Wechselspiel von Politik und Journalismus die Oberhand behalten.

Mehr Informationen beim SWR:
http://www.swr.de/betrifft/index.html


Ein Film von Thomas Leif und Julia Salden Strippenzieher und Hinterzimmer - Meinungsmacher im Berliner Medienzirkus Sendung am 6. März 2006 strippenzieher 1

Als "ein Karussell der Eitelkeiten", als eine buchstäblich "verrückte Medienwelt": so beschreiben Politiker und Journalisten ihren Arbeitsplatz Berlin. Eine unbekannte Welt, in der es um Meinungsmacht und politischen Einfluss geht. "Denn Politik ist nur, was in der Öffentlichkeit stattfindet", so die Erfahrung eines langjährigen Ministers. Wer macht Meinung in Berlin? Wer umarmt wen? Wie groß ist die Distanz noch zwischen Politikern und Journalisten, wo sie doch wechselseitig aufeinander angewiesen sind? Diesen Fragen gehen die Autoren Thomas Leif (SWR) und Julia Salden (NDR) in ihrer 45-minütigen Dokumentation nach.

strippenzieher 3

Der Film zeigt einen Ausschnitt aus dem hektischen und zum Teil absurden Alltag von Politikern und Journalisten in Berlin: die Jagd nach der exklusiven Nachricht und der knalligen Schlagzeile; die fast konspirative Welt der geheimen Hintergrundkreise; und der aufreibende Party-Marathon am Abend. Die Autoren dokumentieren die Folgen des "Meutejournalismus" im Bundestag und geben einen Einblick in die verborgene Szene der zahlreichen Hintergrundkreise, in denen sich Politiker mit handverlesenen Journalisten treffen. Die heißen dann "Gelbe Karte" oder "Rotes Tuch". Oder schlicht "Sozialpolitischer Hintergrundkreis". "Wir handeln geheime Dinge ab", sagt eine Journalistin über ihren Kreis, "das muss der Zuschauer oder Leser nicht erfahren, sondern er muss dann nur verstehen, was wir sagen." Und liefert auch noch den Grund für diese Schweigsamkeit in eigener Sache: "Was da gemacht wird, ist unser Berufsgeheimnis. Das gleiche gilt für den Lobbyismus. Ein Lobbyist redet ja auch nie offen darüber, mit wem er spricht, welche Papiere er erhält, wo er sie hinschiebt und was daraus wird."

"Strippenzieher und Hinterzimmer" zeigt, wie Journalismus in der Hauptstadt gemacht wird, wer welche Informationen "platziert" und welche Interessen im Wechselspiel von Politik und Journalismus die Oberhand behalten. "Es ist ein System, das sich selber zu fressen beginnt", analysiert Martin Bialecki, der Leiter der Berliner dpa-Zentrale, das Zusammenspiel von Politikern und Journalisten. Das überhitzte Klima in Berlin sei von "mehr und mehr Argwohn und Misstrauen gekennzeichnet". strippenzieher 4

Viele in Berlin empfinden den Kampf um Aufmerksamkeit und Anerkennung als bedrohlich für beide Seiten, für Politik und Medien. "Weil in dieser medienbestimmten Republik jemand, der nicht in den Medien ist, nicht da ist", so Hans Eichel, langjähriger Finanzminister. Und Fritz Kuhn, Fraktionsvorsitzender von Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, bekennt: "Wenn Sie bei der Frau Christiansen oder bei der Frau Illner in den Talkshows nicht vertreten sind, dann existieren sie politisch nicht".

"Wir müssen uns entschleunigen", bilanziert Thomas Roth, Leiter des ARD Hauptstadtbüros . "Einfach mal sagen, nein, ich brauche jetzt 14 Tage oder drei Monate für eine Antwort - auch wenn die Journaille drängt," empfiehlt Vizekanzler Franz Müntefering. "Diesen Mut müssen wir alle miteinander wieder mehr haben," fordert der Minister für Arbeit und Soziales. Doch Anzeichen dafür, dass die Tempospirale gestoppt wird, konnten die Autoren bei ihren Recherchen im "Treibhaus Berlin" nicht entdecken.

© SWR 2006

Die WTO – In wessen Interesse? Die Konzernagenda in der EU-Handelspolitik
16. März 2006, 19:30 Uhr Alte Feuerwache Köln, Melchiorstr. 3, 50670 Köln

Christina Deckwirth (WEED) und Marita Wiggerthale (freie Agrarexpertin) präsentieren ihre Studien über die Einflussnahme von Konzernen und Agrobusiness auf die EU-Handelspolitik. Ulrich Müller von LobbyControl berichtet über die aktuelle Debatte über den Lobbyismus in Brüssel und präsentiert die aktuellen Vorschläge der europäischen "Alliance for Lobby Transparency and Ethics Regulation" (ALTER-EU). Eine Veranstaltung von WEED, LobbyControl und Attac Köln.

Weitere Informationen als pdf:
http://www.lobbycontrol.de/blog/download/0603_Koeln_Konzernagenda.pdf

http://www.counterpunch.org/vanbergen03042006.html


Informant: Kev Hall

You can see the programme in the link. http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/cancer/index.html The problem with the Cancer Society's focus is treated well. The same recommendations are given in Israel by the Israeli society (eat 5 colors of vegetables, exercise, hide from the sun, don't smoke, and expect to be cancer-free with these recommendations. Oh, and don't interrupt the polluting industries in their work.) These recommendations of the cancer societies are something international, I guess they sit in their international center (UICC http://www.uicc.org the body which gathers the world cancer societies and transfered the cellular industry money for the Interphone as an independent side[?]) and decide on their policy of recomendations....

Chasing the cancer answer:

The Canadian Cancer Society says healthy lifestyle choices could prevent 50 per cent of cancers. They say a "small percentage" of cancers are linked to environmental toxins, or carcinogens.

"I had my blood tested; the results show I'm full of carcinogens," says Marketplace host Wendy Mesley, who had breast cancer. Epstein argues that we're losing a winnable war against the disease, largely because well-meaning institutions have misspent billions targeting treatment, while virtually ignoring strategies for preventing cancer in the first place. "The Canadian Cancer Society," he says, "has ignored or trivialized these concerns and told the public if you get cancer, it's your own fault." In fact, Epstein contends "it is the fault of the Canadian cancer establishment, who have not informed the public of this vast range, body of information on avoidable causes of cancer."


Informant: Iris Atzmon

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From: Eileen O'Connor
eileen@smokestackltd.co.uk
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 11:44:07 -0000
Subject: CBC Marketplace Chasing Cancer

Please see enclosed e-mail and send your views. I've sent my comments about cancer clusters around phone masts and had a reply; we need to send our concerns about non-ionising radiation, so please spend a few minutes it send your views.

Best wishes

Eileen


Canada viewers: Chasing cancer on Sunday

Marketplace tonight - excellent program - too bad it had to compete with the Oscars - here is the VITAL point that was made right in the very beginning of the 1/2 hour program. In the first minute of the program there were two 'text blocks' shown - here is how they read

first text read - "Cancer ocurs when cells are triggered to grow abnormally. Triggers include genetics, radiation, and carcinogens."

followed up almost immediately by the 2nd text which read "A carcinogen is a substance that can cause cancer."

Wendy Mesley has guts to run this program - she also has cancer - sadly.

In the simplest of all kindergarten lessons isn't this the easiest one - by far - to understand?

Radiation is the silent intruder that opens the door for the chemical and biological carcinogens. Like a 'swizzle stick' in a cocktail.

There may be an opportunity here to bombard Marketplace with this information regarding radiation and also when so doing pound away on the fact that it is cummulative. But it will take a bombardment - from everyone. No slackers - no excuses - there it is - right on National TV - 'radiation' is finally acknowledged as a 'trigger.' You can see the entire program by cliking this url

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/cancer/index.html

If you wish to respond to Wendy you can do so with this address for feedback

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/contactus.html

I hope you all pass this thought to everyone you know that understands the silent killer EM Radiation that I refer to as 'electrosmog'. It is 'on file' now in Ottawa through the Parliamentary Inquiry last January 2005. They can't say they weren't told.

Larry Blackhall
Aldergrove BC
604 857 4140


Informant: Rober Riedlinger

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Without trying to highlight the obvious too much, I think this is largely irrelevant. Ionising radiation has been known to cause cancers for a decade (see presentations on http://www.leukaemiaconference.org/programme/day2.asp ), and there is no doubt that this is what is being referred to here.

- Alasdair Philips

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I sent a short reply to CBC and got the enclosed message back.

Best wishes

Eileen



Hello,

Thank you for your interest in Marketplace and Wendy Mesley's story 'Chasing the Cancer Answer'. Your comments have been passed on to the team producing this program. You can view the full story on our website at www.cbc.ca/marketplace - you can find additional information on our programming there as well.

And if you're interested, this show will be repeated on CBC Newsworld on Saturday March 11 at 7PM.


Thank you,

The Marketplace Team


eileen@smokestackltd.co.uk
03/06/06 4:47 PM
timestamp: 2006-03-06 16:47:09 EST

Comments: One of the biggest causes of cancer is radiation.

I am concerned about the growing number of mobile phones/masts in the world since developing breast cancer at the age of 38. I believe I my breast cancer was due to living for over 7 years, 100 metres from a 22.5 metre phone mast, I now live in a cancer cluster which is one of many clusters around masts throughout the world.

For more information please look at websites:

http://www.radiationresearch.org and http://www.scram.uk.com


Eileen O'Connor

Trustee - EM Radiation Research Trust UK
email: eileen@smokestackltd.co.uk
last_name: O'Connor
first_name: Eileen

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Thanks, Alasdair for making the point re ionizing radiation!!! Larry's comments re "kindergarten lessons" is important also. Presenting the info to the public in the simplest form is critical -- others have mentioned how difficult it is to decipher much of the research.

I would like to use part of your comment in the pending book, "Inflammation and EMF/EMR" (as you know, Olle and Marjorie are also authors) and quote you in addition to using Children With Leukaemia website access info. A primary purpose of the book is the focus on similarities between ionizing and nonionizing radiation and detailed explanations re disease progression due to chronic, prolonged inflammation.

It is important to emphasize many cellular changes that occur due to low levels of ionizing radiation (chronic, prolonged exposure) are comparable and even identical to cellular changes that occur as result of low levels of non-ionizing radiation (chronic, prolonged exposure). As you know, "distance" as well as "nighttime exposure" are additional factors that determine severity of results.

The cellular changes occur as result of chronic inflammation and unabated, the precancerous process begins.........

As you and most others know, Leukaemia is the cancer most commonly related to both non-ionizing radiation and ionizing radiation exposures because blood and bone marrow are particularly radiosensitive. This also explains why infants and toddlers develop Leukaemia when it is often said that "....cancer takes decades to develop." Tragically, instances of other cancers in children such as brain cancer, kidney cancer, etc. also continue to be ignored in regard to the theory that "cancer takes decades to develop....." Take care - Joanne

Joanne C. Mueller Guinea Pigs R Us
731 - 123rd Avenue N.W. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55448-2127 USA
Phone: 763-755-6114 Email: jcmpelican@aol.com

"LIGHT" is at the end of the tunnel for all to see and the lights we are holding get brighter each day in spite of an occasional flicker......THEY are frantically running in circles -- THEY are running into themselves -- THEY WON'T WIN -- It sure is great to be on the side of TRUTH!!! Joanne C. Mueller 1-17-06

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Chasing the cancer answer
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/1764276/

MOBILE TELEPHONE CAN CAUSE CANCER
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/586356/

The danger of chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/409463/

Cancer Clusters in Vicinity to Cell-Phone Transmitter Stations
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/580224/