World-News

Clive Akass,
Personal Computer World
25 Feb 2006

Free wireless access services provided by local authorities are likely to proliferate over the next couple of years, according to a leading Gartner analyst.

Ian Keene, vice-president of research, said there were a number of reasons councils could justify the cost of providing access.

The networks could be used for surveillance systems, distributing public information, regeneration of run-down areas and messaging for emergency services.

Social-services applications were a ‘real winner’ because they attract central government funding. 'But the biggest push of all will come from politicians because they see votes in it,' Keene said.

He told a Netevents forum in Garmisch, Germany, that he knew of several local authorities that are considering the move.

But he said it was not clear at this stage whether Wimax, Wifi or some other technology would be most common in municipal networks.

Keene agreed that frequencies used by both Wimax and Wifi are poor at penetrating walls, so the free networks would do little to close the digital divide by offering access to poorer homes.

Some cities networks would result from public-private partnerships, he said.

In one case a council got a free network by allowing its ‘street furniture’ such as lampposts to be used for cellular phone base stations.

In fact the need for base-station sites has turned lampposts into something of a money spinner for councils, the forum was told.

Bath and the City of London have both recently announced plans for public Wifi access. In the US a mucipal mesh network has been set up at Cambridge, Mass. (see story at http://www.pcw.co.uk/2150967 )

FYI from GRAM http://www.nomasts.org.uk

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Masts Inside Your HOME, Tumours in Your Head: The Downsides of the Mobile/Wireless 'Revolution'
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1723342/

"Öko-Versprechen": Umweltschützer verlangen Verbot von "Raubbau-Tropenholz" (20.03.06)

Die Umweltschutzorganisation Robin Wood kritisiert, dass mit Frühjahrsbeginn wieder Gartenmöbel zu Dumping-Preisen angeboten würden. Die niedrigen Preise seien "mit Holz aus ei­ner ökologisch akzeptablen und legalen Forstwirtschaft nicht zu machen", schreibt die Organisation und nennt als Beispiele Klappstühle aus Teak für 15 Euro und "den großen Deckchair für 69 Euro". Zwar finde man "etliche Etiket­ten mit Öko-Versprechen". Damit sollten Bedenken der Kunden hinsichtlich einer Zerstörung des Tropenwalds zerstreut werden. Eigenen Recherchen zufolge seien aber "viele Öko-Verspre­chen durch nichts zu belegen und irreführend". Von der Bundesregierung fordert Robin Wood ein gesetzliches Verbot des Handels mit Tropenholz aus Raubbau.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13208

"Öko-Versprechen": Umweltschützer verlangen Verbot von "Raubbau-Tropenholz" (20.03.06)

Die Umweltschutzorganisation Robin Wood kritisiert, dass mit Frühjahrsbeginn wieder Gartenmöbel zu Dumping-Preisen angeboten würden. Die niedrigen Preise seien "mit Holz aus ei­ner ökologisch akzeptablen und legalen Forstwirtschaft nicht zu machen", schreibt die Organisation und nennt als Beispiele Klappstühle aus Teak für 15 Euro und "den großen Deckchair für 69 Euro". Zwar finde man "etliche Etiket­ten mit Öko-Versprechen". Damit sollten Bedenken der Kunden hinsichtlich einer Zerstörung des Tropenwalds zerstreut werden. Eigenen Recherchen zufolge seien aber "viele Öko-Verspre­chen durch nichts zu belegen und irreführend". Von der Bundesregierung fordert Robin Wood ein gesetzliches Verbot des Handels mit Tropenholz aus Raubbau.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=1320

(ht) Sich mit Verschwörungstheorien abzugeben, ist in unseren Zeiten eindeutig "politisch inkorrekt" und normalerweise auch tatsächlich weder aufbauend noch hilfreich. Mir ist jedoch vor kurzem eine Parallele zwischen der Vogelgrippe/SARS-Seuche von 2003 und der gegenwärtigen angeblichen Vogelgrippe-Epidemie aufgefallen, von der ich Ihnen berichten möchte.

Worum geht es? Vor - auf den Tag genau - 3 Jahren waren die Medien voll mit Berichten vom Ausbruch der Geflügelpest (bzw. Vogelgrippe) in Hühnerfabriken der Niederlande und angrenzenden deutschen Bundesländern. Nahezu gleichzeitig unternahm die weltweite SARS- Hysterie ihren großen medialen Höhenflug.

Während sich die Medien mit den Schreckensmeldungen über die Vogelgrippe und SARS beschäftigten, marschierte am 20. März 2003 die US- Armee in den Irak ein. Kritiker werfen dem amerikanischen Präsiden- ten Skrupellosigkeit, den Bruch des Völkerrechts und bewusste Vortäuschung von nicht vorhandenen Massenvernichtungswaffen auf irakischem Boden vor. Selbst für ausgewiesene Freunde der USA sind diese Vorwürfe nicht ganz von der Hand zu weisen.

Heute, genau drei Jahre später, sind die Medien wieder voll von der Vogelgrippe. Und gleichzeitig scheint sich ebenso wieder eine neue Krise im Nahen Osten zusammenzubrauen und eine mögliche militärische Intervention gegen den Iran ist im Gespräch.

Ich hoffe sehr, dass diese Parallele nur ein Zufall ist und nicht mehr. Wenn sich allerdings die Hinweise bezüglich einer bevorstehenden Umstellung des Ölhandels von Dollar auf den Euro durch den Iran bewahrheiten sollten, etwas, was angeblich auch der Irak vor dem 2. Golfkrieg geplant haben soll, sieht die Sache etwas ernster aus. Denn die Folgen für die US-Währung, die US-Wirtschaft - und der Druck auf derzeitige US-Regierung - wären nicht absehbar.

Falls Präsident Bush wirklich der Machtpolitiker sein sollte, den seine Gegner in ihm sehen, wäre es nicht auszuschließen, dass die US-Regierung ihren immensen Einfluss auf die WHO (sie ist ihr größter Geldgeber) für den Versuch ausgenutzt hat, die Weltbevölkerung durch die Ausrufung einer globalen Seuche von gewissen anderen Ereignissen abzulenken. So weit an den Haaren herbeigezogen scheint diese Möglichkeit nicht, wenn man bedenkt, wie massiv die US- Regierung kürzlich die Interessen des TAMIFLU-Linzenzgebers GILEAD gegenüber dem Lizenznehmer und Hersteller Roche vertreten hat: US- Verteidigungsminister Rumsfeld ist einer der Hauptaktionäre bei GILEAD und somit einer der Hauptprofiteure der derzeitigen TAMIFLU- Hysterie. Dass die US-Regierung hier in erster Linie zum Wohle der Allgemeinheit gehandelt hat, ist nur schwerlich vorstellbar.

Wie dem auch sei, ich hoffe natürlich, Unrecht zu behalten und dass es nicht schon wieder zu einem Krieg im Nahen Osten kommt. Und ebenso, dass sich die rational kaum nachvollziehbare - weil nicht auf realen Tatsachen basierende - H5N1-Panikmache ebenso von alleine erledigt wie die SARS-Hysterie.

Nachfolgend ein paar interessante Links mit Hintergrundinformationen zum Thema, die für Ihre persönliche Meinungsbildung hilfreich sein könnten. Bitte beachten Sie, dass diese Liste mit Sicherheit nicht alle Aspekte erschöpfend abdecken kann.

Geflügelpest in Holland: Vertuschung eines Impfskandals?
http://www.impf-report.de/jahrgang/2003/32.htm#02

SARS - Wie ein Mythos entsteht
http://www.impf-report.de/jahrgang/2003/22.htm

Starb SARS-Entdecker Urbani an einer Überdosis Morphium?
http://www.impf-report.de/jahrgang/2003/26.htm#01

SARS: RKI-Empfehlung für untauglichen Antikörpertest?
http://www.impf-report.de/jahrgang/2003/29.htm#12

Angeblicher SARS-Beweis: Vom RKI ungeprüft übernommen?
http://www.impf-report.de/jahrgang/2003/38.htm#09

SARS: Angebliche Erfüllung der Koch-Postulate voller Fehler?
http://www.impf-report.de/jahrgang/2003/54.htm#01

Umstellung des Ölhandels von Dollar auf Euro http://www.sueddeutsche.de/,wirm3/ausland/artikel/129/72057/ http://www.choices.li/item.php?id=277 http://www.google.de/search?num=100&hl=de&q=irak+dollar+euro+site%3Awww.zeit-fragen.ch&btnG=Suche&meta=lr%3Dlang_de


Aus: impf-report Newsletter Nr. 08/2006

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1734265,00.html


Informant: Kev Hall

Mother Jones
by Marla Cone

03/06

Born at Christmastime, cradled in pure white snow, polar bears emerge blind, toothless, a pound apiece, as feeble as kittens. Yet before they even leave the safety of their dens on Svalbard, polar bear cubs already harbor more pollutants in their bodies than most other creatures on the planet. Mother polar bears store a lifetime of chemicals in their fat and then bequeath them, via their milk, to their young. ... Scientific studies suggest that these extraordinary loads of chemicals are weakening polar bears, culling the old and the young. Their immune cells and antibodies have been suppressed, and their sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and even their bone composition have been altered. And perhaps most curious of all, small numbers of strange pseudohermaphroditic bears have been discovered. Of every 100 female bears captured on Svalbard, three or four have partial male genitalia...

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/03/on_thin_ice.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

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Help Protect Polar Bears from Extinction

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/polar_bears

The polar bear, the Arctic's top predator and an icon of the north, is threatened with extinction because global warming is rapidly melting the sea-ice habitat on which this magnificent creature depends. The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list polar bears under the Endangered Species Act in February 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service has found that listing "may be warranted," and has requested comments from the public. Please use the form below to submit your comments today!

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Supervisor Scott Schliebe, Polar Bear Project Leader

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Please Protect Polar Bears under the Endangered Species Act

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am writing to ask you to promptly issue a proposal to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act, America's safety net for plants and animals on the brink of extinction. The Arctic's top predator is threatened by global warming and the melting of its sea-ice habitat, on which it depends for all its essential behaviors. With summer sea ice shrinking by 8 to 10 percent per decade, the polar bear has already lost an area of habitat roughly twice the size of Texas. The polar bear cannot survive the levels of Arctic warming and melting projected if greenhouse gas emissions are not greatly reduced in the near future.

Dramatic new evidence since the Center filed its petition to list the polar bear in February 2005 underscores the need for the Fish and Wildlife Service to promptly list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. The Western Hudson Bay population of polar bears, in the southernmost portion of the species' range, has already declined 14 percent in the last ten years because the shorter sea-ice season no longer allows the bears sufficient time on the ice to hunt seals and obtain the nutrition they need for overall health and reproduction.

And in Alaska, polar bears are drowning as the sea ice shrinks and recedes from land. Researchers at the U.S. Minerals Management Service documented four drowned bears in September, 2004, when the sea ice was a record 160 miles off the north coast of Alaska. These researchers believe more bears will perish in this way as global warming continues.

Please propose listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. I am counting on your agency to protect this magnificent creature from the grave threat of global warming.

Sincerely,

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Stop Global Warming, save the Polar Bears!

How many Polar Bears does it take to change a lightbulb?

Well, if we don't start changing lightbulbs to compact fluorescents - and take some other simple measures to help stop the earth from getting warmer, there aren't going to be any Polar Bears. They depend on great sheets of ice - or floes- which are melting because of emissions from the fossils fuels we burn. Their habitat, the Arctic, is warming almost twice as fast as the rest of the world, with significant impacts apparent right now. Scientists say that average winter temperatures have increased as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 50 years . The Polar Bears are drowning in increasing numbers because the ice floes that they depend on for survival are getting fewer and farther between.

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/takeaction.asp


Ideas, News and Opinions brought to you by: Fighting for Animal Rights and the Environment (FARE). An affiliate of The Earth Force United Organization (EFU). PO Box 828 Perry, Michigan 48872 EarthForceUnited@aol.com Fighting for Animal Rights and the Environment: http://hometown.aol.com/earthforceunited/FARE.html

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Perfectly at home in one of the world's most forbidding environments, polar bears spend their summers roaming the Arctic on large chunks of floating ice. Without these thick rafts of sea ice, the bears can’t survive. As you read this, global warming is causing the polar bears’ Arctic habitat to literally melt away beneath them.

However, we can ensure a future for the polar bears by protecting them under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Please join us in urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect polar bears from extinction by listing them under the ESA! Click here now to send your message.

http://ga3.org/campaign/polar_bears

Listing polar bears under the Endangered Species Act -- America’s safety net for plants and animals on the brink of extinction -- will provide broad protections. This listing would require that U.S. agencies not jeopardize their continued existence in any way or harm their critical habitat.

Polar bears are in growing jeopardy as the ice essential to their survival rapidly disappears. Some studies forecast an ice-free Arctic in summer as early as 2100, spelling certain doom for polar bears.

A growing number of polar bears are already drowning as they are forced to swim more often, and for longer distances, in search of ice sheets. Researchers found four dead polar bears floating 60 miles off Alaska’s coast in the fall of 2004, and it’s likely that many more will drown as ice sheets continue to melt.

Click here to join us in urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list polar bears under the ESA before it’s too late!

http://ga3.org/campaign/polar_bears

Once you’ve taken action, click here to tell ten friends, family members, and co-workers about this threat to the polar bears.

http://ga3.org/campaign/polar_bears/forward/

Thank you for support in protecting the polar bears and our other endangered species

Best,

Katelyn Sabochik
Online Campaign Manager
info@saveourenvironment.org

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Thanks to courtroom pressure applied by NRDC, the Bush administration has agreed to consider federal protection for the polar bear, which is mortally threatened by global warming.

But now we've really got to turn up the pressure! The Bush administration is taking comments from the public until April 10 before making its decision about whether to protect the polar bear.

Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/polar/takeaction.asp right now and tell the Bush administration to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.

Global warming is rapidly pushing the polar bear to the brink of extinction.

Over the past three decades, more than a million square miles of the Arctic sea ice that polar bears depend on for survival has disappeared. And on the western coast of Canada's Hudson Bay, the ice is melting about three weeks earlier in the spring than it used to.

Polar bears range over hundreds of miles of sea ice in order to find mates, hunt for seals and fatten themselves up for dormancy.

But according to the best available scientific data, global warming could cause the polar bear's sea ice habitat to completely disappear by 2100! No sea ice, no polar bears. It's that simple.

If the polar bear receives federal protection, the Bush administration will be required by law to ensure that any new federal actions -- including those affecting global warming -- do not jeopardize the bear's survival or harm its essential Arctic habitat.

Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/polar/takeaction.asp and tell the Bush administration to ensure that global warming doesn't drive these majestic natives of the far north to extinction.

Thank you for all your efforts to protect polar bears and slow global warming.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President Natural Resources Defense Council

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Greenpeace Arctic Mission to Spotlight Polar Bears

Two US explorers plan a four-month summer expedition to the North Pole to gather information on the habitat of an animal they believe could be the first victim of global warming - the polar bear. The US government said in February it would consider whether the bears should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/041406EB.shtml

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The Bush administration has extended its deadline for taking public comments before making its crucial decision about whether or not to protect the polar bear

Thanks so much for taking action to save the polar bear, whose survival is threatened by global warming. So far, more than 83,000 BioGems Defenders like you have raised their voices to help ensure a future for these magnificent animals.

Now, we need your help in getting even more people to speak out. The Bush administration has extended its deadline for taking public comments before making its crucial decision about whether or not to protect the polar bear. The new deadline is June 16.

Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/polar/postcard.asp right now and urge your friends and family to tell the Bush administration to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.

If the polar bear receives federal protection, the Bush administration will be required by law to ensure that any new federal actions -- including those affecting global warming -- do not jeopardize the bear's survival or harm its essential Arctic habitat.

Thank you for all your efforts to protect polar bears and slow global warming.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President Natural Resources Defense Council

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Save The Polar Bear
http://www.projectthinice.org/you/tips.php

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The polar bear diaries
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/12/23/smpolar23.xml


Informant: binstock



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Polar+bears

RISE UP!! ITS YER JACKBOOT ON THE STAIRS...

SchNEWS


YOU'RE HAVING A L.A.R.R-F - Last rites for Parliament under new Bill?

Heard about the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill? Tedium personified by the sound of it. In fact concealed under this yawn inducing title is possibly the biggest goosestep towards a totally authoritarian society the Blair oligarchy has yet dared to take. It's been dubbed the "Abolition of Parliament Act" by radical firebrands The Times.

Since the advent of the (now looking more liberal by the minute) Criminal Justice Act in 1994, SchNEWS has warned about and reported on the constant bombardment of measures clamping down on civil liberties and eroding our previously hard won democratic freedoms. The repressive grip has continued to tighten over the years, with increased surveillance, Anti-Social Behavioural Orders, ID cards, Anti-Terror laws and the Serious and Organised Crime Bill, to name but a few examples. In fact, of the six thousand criminal offences on the books over a thousand were created by Neo-Labour. These laws continue being abused by the powerful to retain control and iron out any irritating resistance to the great corporate sell-out of the last decade. There is one thing, however, that they've all had in common. All such laws have had to be debated in and voted through...by Parliament.

While this bunch of self-interested ideology-swallowing career politicians have done little to oppose the big crackdown, it has at least meant that everything done has remained fairly visible. Pockets of political opposition have emerged, including some surprising outbursts of sanity from the old loons in the House of Lords and the judiciary. Even some parts of the mainstream media have taken to wondering whether we are getting close to a dictatorship, now that the crackdown has hit Middle England. All this has helped to water down some of the more soviet-like sub-sections of the more totalitarian proposals. Ultimately, we are left with a public record of the law changes which, in theory at least, means that those responsible could be held accountable later.

Overall, none of this was too disastrous for Government Inc. Enough Whips could be cracked, arms twisted and cosy media relationships fostered to ensure that most of the Magna Carta-pulping stuff could get through unscathed. But as Neo Labour's electoral stranglehold has weakened of late, Tony Blair and the spin-doctors have become increasingly frustrated by pesky opposition MPs throwing spanners in the works. Even worse, he's had to contend with a number of muscle-flexing interventions by the very last people he has ever listened to - backbench Labour MPs who aren't quite as on message as they might be.

This has culminated with a number of irritating Parliamentary revolts such as over the 90 days lock-em-up-for-no-reason provision in the Terror Bill, which was kicked out by MPs a couple of months ago. There are also the ongoing, repeated attempts by the Lords to remove the 'glorification' of 'Terror' offence in the same bill. How aggravating must this be for our would-be Lord Protector Blair and his bunch of merry PR men? These laws don't affect any important demographics! Damn public scrutiny! Damn reasoned political debate and democratic decision-making! But how to get around all these problems? Never fear, political genius Tony is here with the answer: let's do away with democratically agreed laws and instead have some LARRs - Legislative and Regulatory Reforms...

CRACKDOWNER

Launched with little fanfare, amongst concerns about bureaucratic red-tape and the inefficiency of out-dated procedures, the aniseed pip at the heart of the gob stopping bill is this: why not just bring in a law that allows the government to introduce, amend or replace any legislation it likes. This can be done without all that tiresome business of needing Parliament approval. Ministers will be able to create new criminal offences at whim. All manner of focus group orientated idiocy cooked up Neo-Labour up in its laboratory of ideas will find its way to a street near you. That way, ministers can get on with carving up power to suit themselves and their corporate overlords. MPs can then get on with legitimising the regime, opening supermarkets and holding local surgeries back in their constituencies. Brilliant!The fact that Neo Labour may not be in power for eternity shouldn't matter - well, Neo-Labour - Conservatives, not much difference there... and there are a few restrictions to ease the consciences of the all important moneyed classes. Orders won't be used to introduce new taxes, for instance, but most of the limitations on their use are fuzzy and subjective. One of the "safeguards" in the Bill is that an order can impose a 'burden' only 'proportionate to the benefit expected to be gained'. And the judge of whether it is proportionate will be...well, the minister introducing the law of course. Whose benefit is of course carefully left unanswered.

Cambridge Law Professor, John Spensor, has referred to it as the 'abolition of parliament' Bill. This bill can be used to detain people for a couple of years (troublesome activists or Johnny Foreigner perhaps), introduce house arrest, and give the police greater powers of arrest and interrogation. It could also be used to set up new courts, and in effect re-write the rules on immigration, nationality, divorce, inheritance and the appointment of judges - all without any parliamentary scrutiny.

SchNEWS aren't under illusions that parliament ever acted in our interests but we're not ready to see absolute power handed over lock, stock and barrel to the spiders at the centre of this web.The whole project bears an uncanny resemblance to the Reich's Enabling Act which allowed the Nazis to legally dismantle the constitution of the Weimar Republic. What do they want that is so controversial that they're not even sure if this parliament of placemen and sycophants is going to push it through? This proposition has already begun to cause ripples and it is imperative that it doesn't remain in the shadows but encounters resistance at every turn.

The Bill is online at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmbills/111/06111.1-4.html

Headline: COMMONS;
Masts Byline: Press Association
Source: PA Issue
Date: Friday March 03, 2006
Page: 1
Story Text:

By Trevor Mason and Katherine Haddon, PA Political Staff

A bid to change planning laws relating to mobile phone masts was launched in the Commons today with cross party backing.

Leading the move, Tory former minister David Curry said his aim was not to put forward proscriptive plans.

``My Bill is an invitation for the industry and Government to engage in discussion to find a better planning framework ...'' he said. ``It is an invitation to negotiate.''

Introducing his Telecommunications Masts (Planning Control) Bill, Mr Curry (Skipton and Ripon) said there was huge and growing concern about the siting of phone masts.

He said even the mobile phone operators themselves accepted there was more to be done to take account of public concerns but previous attempts to change the law had foundered.

Mr Curry also spoke about public fears of health risks linked to mobile phones.

Although there was no current evidence that they were harmful, he drew on his experience at the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food during the BSE crisis to sound a note of caution.

``I've been around long enough to know that politicians and scientists can only offer current evidence.

``They don't deal in certainties, they don't deal in guarantees, the public increasingly does ask for certainty and guarantees,'' he said.

Sir William Stewart has carried out research into possible health risks associated with mobiles and recommended a continued ``precautionary approach'' to the use of such technology, Mr Curry told the House.

And the MP added that legislation on this matter should take into consideration the possibility that advice on phone use might change.

He said that there was a ``deep level of suspicion'' over the issue.

``I don't think that is healthy.

``I think we need to do this in such a transparent way that the industry feels that its future is secure and that this constant local guerrilla wars, as it were, no longer have to be fought, the public doesn't feel threatened, intimidated or taken advantage of, local authorities don't feel overburdened,'' he said.

Labour's Andrew Dismore (Hendon) said he would support the Bill but called for changes to make it more straightforward.

He said mobile phone masts were a ``major issue'' in his constituency, adding: ``I think Orange is probably the main culprit, closely followed by T Mobile and Vodafone.

``And they do seem to try and wear down communities and their opposition to it by repeat applications, by continuing appeals.

``They wear down local authority planning departments and, frankly, something has to be done about it.''

He said that there had been an application for a mast to go on top of Barnet Hospital, which was declined, as well as a 3G mast upgrade, which does not need consent, at Copthall School.

Mr Dismore added that 3G upgrades had led to a ``huge upsurge'' of planning applications.

For the Liberal Democrats, Andrew Stunell expressed support for the Bill.

Mr Stunell said the ``elephant in the room'' was the ``fantastic'' sums of money involved in the industry.

He said: ``Any constraint on their trade is viewed by them with the utmost suspicion.''

There was ``no way'' that the current planning exemptions could now be justified. The industry was capable of paying Pounds 30 billion for the next generation of mobile phone technology licences.

Labour's Nia Griffith (Llanelli) supported the Bill and warned of a ``Christmas tree effect'' whereby once a mast has been approved other phone companies placed masts on the same site.

Tory David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) said residents had to constantly ``battle'' with different phone companies who made repeated applications for masts. He added that when one operator was refused, another would then apply for a mast on the same site.

Tobias Ellwood (C Bournemouth E) said that with the 3G masts there could be as many as 100,000 masts in the UK - more than double the numbers now. Just because everyone used mobile phones it did not mean there should not be regulation.

For the Tories, Nick Herbert said: ``The principle of the Bill that local communities should be properly consulted must be the right one.

``For too long there has been a creeping attitude that government knows best and too many decisions are being taken away from local control and local communities.''

He urged the Government not to talk out the Bill.

But Jim Fitzpatrick, a junior minister in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, said the Government could not support the measure and was still speaking when time ran out at 2.30pm.

Mr Fitzpatrick said there was concern about perceived health risks, although research evidence suggested there was no health risk from the masts.

He said ministers were determined to ``move'' on the issue but not through this particular piece of legislation.

``We are giving it attention and will be giving it a lot more attention in the months ahead.''

Mr Fitzpatrick said the more people who used mobile phones, the greater was the need for base stations.

There was considerable disquiet about the infrastructure but the Government believed the current planning arrangements ``broadly strike the right balance''.

Rejecting claims that the Government's objections to the Bill stemmed from the large amounts of income brought in by mobile phone licences as ``scurrilous,'' he added: ``There is no skullduggery going on here.''

Ministers had already strengthened the planning regulations twice since 1997.

Entscheidung des Rektors ruft unterschiedliche Reaktionen hervor

Die kanadische Universität Lakehead in Thunder Bay, Ontario, bietet derzeit nur dort drahtlose Internet-Zugänge an, wo keine faseroptische Internet-Verbindung verfügbar ist. Und hieran soll sich auch laut Uni-Rektor Fred Gilbert vorläufig nichts ändern. Gilbert will den flächendeckenden WiFi-Zugang an seiner Uni nicht zulassen, da Studien auf signifikante gesundheitliche Konsequenzen hindeuteten. „Dies ist besonders bedeutsam für jüngere Menschen“, so Gilbert, der seine Maßnahme als reine Vorsorge betrachtet, und zusätzlich darauf verweist, dass in Kanada höhere Grenzwerte als in einigen anderen Ländern gelten. Viele Umwelteinflüsse seien, auch nachdem man ihnen 30 oder 40 Jahre ausgesetzt sei, noch nicht bekannt, wie z.B. von Passivrauchen und Asbest. Gilberts Entscheidung ruft unterschiedliche Reaktionen hervor: Jörg-Rüdiger Sack, Informatik-Professor an der Carleton Universität, hat beispielsweise geäußert, er stimme mit Gilbert überein, dass es nicht ausreichend Informationen über mögliche Langzeit-Effekte gebe, um eindeutig sagen zu können, dass drahtlose Verbindungen sicher seien.

Jüngst haben zwei Professoren der Pennsylvania State University die Bedenken Gilberts gegenüber der WiFi-Technologie zurückgewiesen. Professor William Burkhard kann sich Auswirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit „kaum vorstellen“, er hält die Vorgehensweise von Gilbert für eine Überreaktion, WiFi-Geräte sind „nur Radios, die übertragen und empfangen“, so Burkhard. Ebenso reagierte sein Kollege Joshua Muscat.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/02/23/canada.internet.reut/
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1692101/
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/


Aus: FGF-Infoline vom 16.03.2006

Der Forschungsgemeinschaft Funk e.V. (FGF), gehören alle deutschen Mobilfunkbetreiber an.

World Water Forum: Activists Pledge to Fight for Their Water
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0318-06.htm

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Tribunal Declares Governments, Companies Guilty

Diego Cevallos http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32583

*MEXICO CITY, Mar 21 (IPS) - The companies and governments declared guilty by the Latin American Water Tribunal (TLA) at a "trial" held in Mexico will not be fined or otherwise punished, but the plaintiffs hope that they will "at least" admit responsibility and take appropriate action. *

Among the verdicts it handed down in cases from 10 countries, the non-governmental TLA blamed a paper pulp factory in Chile for polluting a protected wetlands system, and censured the national authorities for failing to prevent the disaster. It also called for the immediate suspension of construction work on a huge hydroelectric dam in Mexico, which would displace 25,000 small farmers.

"The Tribunal resolutions are a real moral triumph, and we would like governments to feel somewhat ashamed," Bidulfo Rosales, legal adviser to a group of small farmers from the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, told IPS. Rosales presented the case against the construction of the La Parota dam.

The verdict stated that work on the dam, being built at a cost of 850 million dollars, "should be suspended, since there is no evidence of any benefit to the local population, nor any contribution to regional development or the protection of the environment and natural resources."

Furthermore, the decision indicated that, in their zeal to carry out the project, authorities in Mexico have committed deliberate acts to divide the small farmers' communities.

The TLA found for the plaintiffs - environmentalists, activists, or affected community organisations - in all of the cases it heard between Mar. 13 and Mar. 20

In the Chilean case, the Tribunal requested that in the "light of the Precautionary Principle," operations at the pulp mill "be suspended immediately and indefinitely, until new environmental impact studies have been carried out which lead to granting a new, appropriate environmental permit."

The Celulosa Arauco y Constitución (Celco) company opened its Valdivia pulp mill on the Cruces River in southern Chile in February 2004. The plant was located 32 kilometres southwest of a wetland, which was home to the largest colony of black-necked swans in Latin America - between
4,000 and 6,000. Starting in 2004, around 500 swans died, and the rest migrated.

A study by the Austral University in Valdivia concluded that waste from the pulp mill destroyed a waterweed, known locally as luchecillo, which is the swans' main food source.

The TLA held Celco directly responsible "for inappropriate use of water resources, polluting the surrounding area, loss of biodiversity, damages and risks to public health, and damages to other human activities."

It also censured "national and regional authorities for a lack of commitment to their duties and for taking contradictory decisions to the detriment of life, health, nature and traditional communities."

The Costa Rica-based Tribunal was expected to hand down guilty verdicts, which were supported by "very powerful arguments" and evidence, TLA spokesman Gilberto López told IPS.

The work of the Tribunal should be seen not only as passing judgements, but "as cooperating to reach solutions," he commented.

The TLA is a non-compulsory ethical tribunal created in Central America in 1998, which expanded to the rest of Latin America in 2004.

According to López, "the verdicts have significant political weight, so their consequences are unforeseeable, and they will be followed up, with the aim of finding solutions."

Of the 13 cases before the Tribunal, the defendants in the cases of the La Parota dam and the Chilean pulp factory were the only ones not to have responded to the TLA's summons to present arguments in their defence.

In the other cases there were reactions from the accused parties, who generally responded by letter, although two appeared personally at the hearings involving cases of river pollution in Mexico.

The "trials", which have moral force only, have taken about a year, including presentation of the charges, evaluation of the cases and sentencing.

The cases reviewed in the Mexican capital were from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru.

The Brazilian case involved a plan to fill in part of a lagoon in the southern state of Sao Paulo with contaminating sludge. In Bolivia, the complaint focused on seven years of poor service from a private water company in the working-class city of El Alto, near La Paz.

Denunciations in Ecuador were against the construction of dams on the Pacific coast, and the cases from El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua complained about pollution and diversion of rivers due to mining activities. In addition to La Parota, Mexico had five water pollution cases.

The Peruvian case involved the environmental impact of mining, and Panama's suit was against the transport of radioactive materials through the canal joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The "judges" who passed sentence were Alexandre Camanho de Assis, a regional prosecutor from Brazil, Argentine architect Alfredo Valladares, Mexican political scientist Patricia Ávila, and Philippe Texier, a Supreme Court magistrate from France.

Also on the bench were Cuban architect and sociologist Selma Díaz, Guatemalan human rights lawyer Augusto Willemsen, Mexican social scientist David Barkin, and Oscar González, former president of the non-governmental Mexican Academy for Human Rights.

As TLA director Javier Bogantes explained to IPS, the "judges" were chosen for their proven track record and moral prestige, and were advised by a committee of experts.

The trials took place in the context of the 4th World Water Forum, which has brought together 13,000 delegates from governments, non-governmental organisations and business from Mar. 16 to Mar. 22. (END/2006)

*Send your comments to the editor* editors@ipsnews.net?Subject=IPS%20Story%20WATER:%20Tribunal%20Declares%20Governments,%20Companies%20Guilty


Informant: Teresa Binstock

STEVE DOWNES

17 March 2006 06:15

A showdown was on the cards last night as councillors launched a bid to force a communications giant to switch off a controversial mast on a police station.

O2 will be told to turn off the equipment at North Walsham after backing down from a High Court battle with a father-and-son who claim it is making people ill.

But members and officers from North Norfolk District Council are likely to get short shrift from the operator, which said last night it would not pull the plug.

Ann Casson, a spokeswoman for the company, said: "We have a valid planning consent for the mast, which is providing a vital service for the community and the police in the area."

The mast provides a signal for a crucial part of Norfolk Police's state-of-the-art Airwave digital radio system across the county.

But it has been at the centre of a bitter battle since it was put up and switched on without planning permission three years ago.

The council eventually received a planning application, which it rejected.

It then launched enforcement action and issued a "stop" notice, which forced O2 to switch off the mast and find an alternative site on the edge of the town.

But the decisions were overturned by a planning inspector appointed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott - leaving the mast operating again, to the fury of nearby residents who reported a number of symptoms they claimed were caused by emissions.

Matthew Pennington and his four-year-old son Henry, whose home is 100yds from the mast, challenged the inspector's decision on the basis that she had not taken into account the evidence of ill health that he said had been caused by the mast.

Mr Pennington also said O2 had not produced sufficient evidence that it had looked for alternative sites in North Walsham for the mast.

Yesterday, councillors at the joint development control committee heard confirmation that O2 and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) had pulled out of the High Court battle on April 3 and 4 with the father and son.

The move, which is expected to be confirmed by a judge in the next fortnight, means a different inspector at a new appeal will decide the outcome of the saga.

Councillors were told by planning legal enforcement manager Roger Howe that he believed the "stop" notice was now reactivated.

Members gave him permission to write to O2, requesting that the mast be switched off.

Pat Ford, a North Walsham councillor, said: "I certainly want the stop notice served. It will serve the residents and particularly the children of the town."

Candy Sheridan said: "So far we've done everything in our power to stop this. We must do it again."

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren von der Bürgerwelle,

auch wir haben am eigenen Leib erfahren, was es heißt im Hauptstrahl eines Mobilfunksenders zu leben. Bitte lesen Sie unsere Geschichte im Anhang.

http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/neuefa.doc
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/icking.pdf

Zwei Bilder zeigen unser Haus in Icking, aus dem wir im November aus Gesundheitsgründen ausgezogen sind, und die Aussicht vom Balkon im ersten Stock ins Isartal und auf die Sendemasten in 100 m Entfernung, die unterhalb am Hang genehmigungsfrei errichtet wurden. Unser Haus ist ein biologisch gebautes Holzhaus, welches wir abschirmen mußten, um darin einigermaßen unverstrahlt leben zu können.

http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/abschi.jpg
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/aussic.jpg


Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Ingrid v.Brandt

München, 19.03.2006:

Kaum zu glauben, aber wahr: Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation verharmlost die Folgen von Tschernobyl und spielt die Erkenntnisse der eigenen Forscher herunter. "Bis zu 4000 Menschen könnten durch die Strahlenbelastung sterben, die das Unglück von Tschernobyl mit sich brachte", berichtete die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) vergangenen September. Bei lediglich 50 Menschen hätte die Strahlenbelastung bislang zum Tode geführt.

http://www.umweltjournal.de/fp/archiv/NaturKosmos/10148.php

Mit freundlichen Grüßen übersandt:

Pesché Jeannot (Luxemburg)

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Für eine grundlegende Wende in der Energiepolitik

Der Verein Lebenshaus Schwäbische Alb e.V. hat gemeinsam mit dem Internationalen Versöhnungsbund, Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg folgende Initiative gestartet: zum 20. Jahrestag des Super-GAUs von Tschernobyl soll eine Erklärung “Für eine grundlegende Wende in der Energiepolitik“ als Zeitungsanzeige veröffentlicht werden. Finanziert wird dies durch die finanzielle Beteiligung von möglichst vielen UnterstützerInnen.

In der Erklärung heißt es, das Gedenken am 20. Jahrestag der Katastrophe von Tschernobyl mahnt unerbittlich, dass die Welt frei werden muss von Atomkraftwerken und Atomwaffen! Die fossil-atomare Energiewirtschaft ist vollständig abzulösen durch konsequente Energie-Einsparung, durch Erhöhung der Energie-Effizienz und vor allem durch die Nutzung eines umfassenden Energiemix aus Erneuerbaren Energien.

Die Erklärung findet ein sehr gutes Echo. Fast 400 Einzelpersonen und Organisationen/Initiativen aus ganz Deutschland haben inzwischen den Appell unterzeichnet. Das macht die Initiatoren zuversichtlich, mehr als eine (leider sehr teure) Anzeige in dann verschiedenen überregionale Tageszeitungen veröffentlichen und finanzieren zu können.

Dafür wird noch einige Unterstützung benötigt! Deshalb die Bitte: möglichst die Erklärung selber unterzeichnen (wer dies online macht, erscheint namentlich auch im Internet) – und andere Menschen auf diese Anzeigenkampagne hinweisen, mündlich, per E-Mail, Hinweise in Internetseiten und Publikationen, durch Weiterverbreitung von unseren gedruckten Informationsblättern (Informationsblätter zum Auslegen oder zum Beilegen in Zeitschriften/Rundbriefen stellen wir gerne auch in größerer Stückzahl zur Verfügung). Unterzeichnungen sind noch bis zum 19. April 2006 möglich.

Weitere Infos unter den nachfolgenden Links:

Vorstellung der Anzeigenkampagne >>
http://www.lebenshaus-alb.de/mt/archives/aktionen/003539.html

Erklärung online unterstützen >>
http://www.lebenshaus-alb.de/mt/archives/aktionen/003539.html#formular

Link zu den ErstunterzeichnerInnen + UnterzeichnerInnen >>
http://www.lebenshaus-alb.de/mt/archives/aktionen/003539.html#unterzeich ner


Kontakt: Michael Schmid, Lebenshaus Schwäbische Alb - Gemeinschaft für soziale Gerechtigkeit, Frieden und Ökologie e.V., Bubenhofenstr. 3,
72501 Gammertingen, Tel.: 0 75 74 / 28 62, Internet: http://www.lebenshaus-alb.de/mt/ , E-Mail: info@lebenshaus-alb.de

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Sie mussten ihr Leben der Atomenergie opfern

Junge Männer schaufelten radioaktiven Müll zurück in den Katastrophenreaktor von Tschernobyl und damit ihr eigenes Grab

Von Angelika Claußen

Die Explosion im Kernkraftwerk von Tschernobyl vor 20 Jahren hätte das Ende der Atomenergie sein können. Doch so ist es nicht gekommen, klagt die Autorin. Neue Gefahren bedrohen die Menschen.

Weiter unter:
http://www.frankfurter-rundschau.de/fr_home/startseite/?sid=a92e719ba9c475c81eb6ca8020fdd12d&cnt=841339

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Atomkatastophe von Tschernobyl vor 20 Jahren

AUFRUF DES AKU

ZUR TEILNAHME AN DER DEMO AM AKW BIBLIS

29. APRIL 06 12:00UHR

KIRCHPLATZ BIBLIS

Auf zur Demo!

20 Jahre nach der Katastrophe von Tschernobyl schwindet das Wissen der Menschen über die Gefahren der Atomenergie. Gleichzeitig wittern die großen Energieversorgungsunternehmen (EVU) Morgenluft: Der Ruf der Atomindustrie und ihren Wasserträgern nach längere Laufzeiten für marode AKWs dient lediglich der Profiterhöhung der Atomstromkonzerne. Die bereits amortisierten Altmeiler erweisen sich als Gelddruckmaschinen. Und wer schaltet eine solche schon ab, bevor sie wirklich kaputt ist?

Wir weisen die Forderungen von Roland Koch, Wirtschaftsminister Glos u.a. nach Laufzeitverlängerung oder sogar Neuerrichtung von Reaktoren entschieden zurück. Diese Maximierung des Profits der EVUs geschieht auf Kosten unserer Sicherheit und hemmt den Ausbau einer erneuerbaren Energieversorgung.

Dagegen müssen wir uns wehren.

Link zum Artikel: http://www.aku-wiesbaden.de/artikel_110.htm

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Studie: Gesundheitliche Folgen von Tschernobyl (06.04.06)

Die atomkritische Ärzteorganisation IPPNW und die Gesellschaft für Strahlenschutz veröffentlichte am Donnerstag eine Studie zu den gesundheitlichen Folgen von Tschernobyl. Sebastian Pflugbeil von der Gesellschaft für Strahlenschutz warf der Internationalen Atomenergie Organisation (IAEA) und der Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO bei ihrer Darstellung der Tschernobyl-Folgen "gravierende Unstimmigkeiten" vor: In einer Pressemitteilung im September 2005 sei mitgeteilt worden, dass künftig höchstens 4.000 zusätzliche Krebs- und Leukämietote unter den am meisten belasteten Menschengruppen zu befürchten seien, obwohl in der Originalquelle 10.000 bis 25.000 zusätzliche Krebs- und Leukämietote zu entnehmen seien. Nach Auffassung der IPPNW-Vorsitzenden Angelika Claußen kann es nicht darum gehen, "den offenkundig falschen Zahlen der IAEO" die "richtigen" Zahlen gegenüberzustellen, da es diese aus methodischen Gründen niemals geben könne. Es sei "aber möglich, Anhaltspunkte dafür zu geben, mit welcher Vielfalt von Gesundheitsschäden wir uns befassen müssen und mit welchen Größenordnungen man es zu tun hat, wenn man von den gesundheitlichen Folgen von Tschernobyl spricht", so Claußen.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13331

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20 Jahre Tschernobyl – und kein Ende in Sicht

Am 26. April 1986 ist das passiert, was eigentlich erst in Millionen Jahren hätte passieren sollen: ein Atomkraftwerk ist explodiert. Das so genannte Restrisiko hat zugeschlagen. Heute, 20 Jahre nach dem GAU, sind die Atommeiler nicht ungefährlicher geworden, denn sie sind in die Jahre gekommen. Trotzdem wird über Laufzeitverlängerungen gesprochen, und auch der Neubau von Atomkraftwerken ist wieder in der Diskussion. Der falsche Weg, denn zu den Risiken einer nicht beherrschbaren Technik kommt die nicht lösbare Frage der Lagerung des Atommülls. Und was zusätzliche Sorge bereiten muss: Der weltweite Handel mit waffenfähigem Brennstoff floriert. Allerhöchste Zeit, dass wir uns von der Nutzung der Atomenergie endgültig und unwiderrufbar verabschieden. Wir müssen bei der Energiewende hin zu den Erneuerbaren aufs Tempo drücken. Einen Ausstieg aus dem „Atomausstieg“ darf es nicht geben! Das Sonderheft der „Münchner Stadtgespräche“ zu 20 Jahren Tschernobyl informiert über den GAU im russischen Atomkraftwerk und, warum das Thema heute wieder so wichtig ist. Was ist damals genau passiert, was waren die Folgen der Katastrophe, wie kann eine Gemeinde oder auch der Einzelne dazu beitragen, eine verantwortbare Energiepolitik zu etablieren? Hier können Sie die 32-seitige Sonderausgabe herunterladen: http://www.umweltinstitut.org/frames/all/m423.htm

Rund um den 20. Jahrestag der Katastrophe von Tschernobyl gibt es eine Reihe von Veranstaltungen, die wir Ihnen empfehlen. Am Dienstag, 18.4. berichtet die Liquidatorin Natalia Manzurova über ihre Erfahrungen damals und heute. Sie ist ausgebildete Radiobiologin und war als eine der wenigen Frauen von 1987 bis 1991 in Tschernobyl bei den Aufräumarbeiten beteiligt. Auch auf die Matinee „20 Jahre Tschernobyl – Nie wieder!“ mit dem Kabarettisten Jörg Hube und dem Trio Infernale möchten wir Sie besonders hinweisen. Die Benefizveranstaltung für die „Kinder von Tschernobyl“ findet am So, 23.4.06 im historischen Festsaal im Alten Rathaus am Marienplatz in München statt. Das Spektrum ist groß, suchen Sie sich „Ihre“ Veranstaltung aus. Unsere ergänzte Terminübersicht finden Sie hier: http://www.umweltinstitut.org/frames/all/m434.htm

Hans Ulrich-Raithel, Dipl.- Ing. (FH) Vorstand
Umweltinstitut München e.V.

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Atomenergie: Greenpeace-Jahreskalender mit 365 Gründen gegen Atomkraft (07.04.06)

Die Reaktorkatastrophe in Tschernobyl und die Atombombenabwürfe auf Hiroshima und Nagasaki waren die schlimmsten Ereignisse in der Geschichte der Atomkraft. In einem Kalender, den Greenpeace am Freitag veröffentlichte, nehmen sie drei Tage ein. Insgesamt 365 der gravierendsten Ereignisse hat Greenpeace aus tausenden Unfällen und Atombombentests ausgewählt. Die Datensammlung zeigt für jeden Kalendertag einen Vorfall in der Geschichte der Atomkraft: Diebstahl von Atommaterial, einen Unfall in einer Atomanlage oder den Test einer Atombombe. Der Kalender beginnt mit dem 26. April, dem 20. Jahrestag des Unglücks in Tschernobyl.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13345

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Tschernobyl, der Krebs und die widersprüchlichen Todeszahlen

08.04.2006

Die Internationale Atomenergieagentur (IAEA) in Wien ging bisher von 4.000 Toten durch den Tschernobyl-Atomunfall vor 20 Jahren aus...

Weiter unter:
http://www.sonnenseite.com/index.php?pageID=6&news:oid=n4964

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Die Todeswolke, die ganz Europa verseuchte

Vor 20 Jahren explodierte Block 4 des Atomkraftwerks Tschernobyl
http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/22/22436/1.html

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Greenpeace rechnet mit 90.000 Todesopfern durch Tschernobyl (18.04.06)

Die Umweltorganisation Greenpeace schätzt, dass die Opferzahl des Reaktorunglücks von Tschernobyl deutlich höher ist als bisher angenommen. "Wer behauptet, es hätte 4000 Opfer gegeben, leugnet die Schwere dieses Unglücks und ignoriert das Leid unzähliger Menschen", sagte Thomas Breuer von Greenpeace am Dienstag in Berlin. Entsprechende Schätzungen von Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) und Internationaler Atomenergiebehörde (IAEO) würden ein "zu harmloses Bild" zeichnen. Neueste Studien der Russischen Akademie der Wissenschaften kämen für die Länder Weißrussland, Ukraine und Russland alleine auf 270.000 zusätzliche Krebserkrankungen, von denen voraussichtlich 93.000 tödlich enden würden. Weitere Studien vermuteten noch weitaus höhere Folgen.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13387

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Tschernobyl: Frauen aktiv
http://www.genanet.de/tschernobyl.html

WHO works for industry? - The answer is the question
http://tinyurl.com/puwne




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

Please cross post

Please come and join us for our annual dog walk. This year's theme is 'A WALK FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T" remember most puppy mill breeding stock will never be allowed to walk freely, they will live in tiny cages and die at the hands of the puppy miller. We bring you this event to educate the public about Puppy Mills................

AWARENESS DAY "IS" FOR SHELTER DOGS -

One of the big dog food companies is using the tag line " ----- is for Shelter Dogs",... well, so are we. That line keeps going around in my head and the faces of shelter dogs and cats have been in my mind's eye for decades. Awareness Day is for shelter dogs and cats and for homeless animals on the streets and for those who shouldn't be born, but who are.

Puppy Mill Awareness Day still asks the same question we asked last September -- how can anyone not ask for a moratorium on all Commercial Breeding of domestic pets? (Other than those who are in this business solely for the money.) Animal rescues all over the country are still trying to pick up the remnants of the devastation done by the hurricanes in the South. The homeless animals who have been living on the street since last summer have been breeding, there are now 'COUNTLESS" puppies and kittens being born to the Katrina survivors. They have not been saved and may never be saved. Ask the animal rescue groups who are trying to help. There seems to be no end in sight.

Still Puppy Millers continue to breed and to sell and to breed and to sell, dumping animals into an overburdened system that is at its breaking point.

The lobbyists for the PA pet breeders association say that they are filling a need when in fact they are filling their pockets. They claim consumers want the product and they are just helping out.

The product is there, dying daily on the streets and in the shelters, but the Commercial Breeding Industry continues to prosper. WHY? Largely because of the uneducated consumer. There are plenty of puppies available -- they are being born daily to the Katrina survivors on the streets of New Orleans, they are being shipped to your local pound, they are dying for lack of a home.

Please, all of you who care about animals, we implore you -- SPREAD THE WORD. Join us at the Awareness Day Dog Walk on May 20 in New York City at Riverside Park, or join us in September at our annual Puppy Mill Awareness Day in Lancaster, PA. But don't stop there...share this invitation/information with your local vets offices, local pet stores, schools, clubs, organizations, friends, neighbors, communities. There is strength in numbers. There will be media attention at these events....we want to be heard as a voice for the suffering animals that we dearly love.

Whatever you do, please remember --dogs are suffering and dying with inhumane treatment at the hands of the puppy millers every day. These dogs are being bred to fill - a need -- who's need? Lets stop the demand and educate the consumer.

Lets educate the public. Please join us and either participate as a vendor, or just come and join the fun and make a statement. We will not condone the continued breeding of unwanted pets while there are still homeless dogs and cats in our shelters

For further information and registration, please visit http://www.awarenessday.org/


Thank you.

Carol, Kathy and Walter


Informant: Morning Glory

EMAILS NEEDED AGAINST VIVISECTION!

It takes only minutes to click on the link in the share, find Jessie's letter, then copy and paste it to the e-mail address. Please take the time. Vivisection is vile. Lots of love and many thanks! Eleanor


Alert: HELP CLOSE LAGER THAT BREEDS DOGS FOR VIVISECTION
http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/59087