polar bears; logging; incineration; coal; GMOs; meds; Kyoto; coke; water

[angela bischoff]

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.  It's not. 
~Dr. Seuss

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Beaufort Sea polar bears starving to death, scientist finds

Desperate animals resorting to cannibalism, wandering south to find food

Last Updated: Thursday, April 10, 2008 
<http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/04/10/polar-bears.html#storypost>

<http://www.cbc.ca/news/credit.html>CBC News

Polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea are starving as they struggle to
adapt to a warming Arctic climate, according to the latest research by a
Canadian polar bear expert.

Changing spring sea ice is making it more difficult for the bears to hunt
their primary prey, the ringed seal, said Ian Stirling of the Canadian
Wildlife Service.

Full article here:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/04/10/polar-bears.html#storypost

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Logging in Canada's Boreal Forest could trigger "carbon bomb" impacting
global climate
April 10, 2008

A new report released by Greenpeace today finds that logging in Canada's
Boreal Forest is making global warming worse by releasing greenhouse gases
and reducing carbon storage. It also finds that logging makes the forest
more susceptible to global warming impacts like wildfires and insect
outbreaks, which in turn release more greenhouse gases.

Turning Up the Heat: Global Warming and the Degradation of Canada's Boreal
Forest collects the best available scientific literature of the past
decade. It warns that if current trends continue, they could culminate in
a scenario known as the "carbon bomb": a massive and sudden release of
greenhouse gases driven by an outbreak of forest or peat fires. Because
the Boreal contains so much carbon—186 billion tonnes—this could affect
the climate on a global scale.

But the report offers solutions as well. It finds that by making intact
areas of the Boreal Forest off-limits to logging and other industrial
activity, we can help avert the carbon bomb scenario, while safeguarding
the health and viability of the ecosystem as a whole. Intact areas of the
Boreal Forest resist and recover from fires, insect outbreaks, and other
impacts better than fragmented areas. They also give trees, plants, and
animals the best chances of migrating, adapting, and surviving in a
changing climate.

Read the report at:
<http://ems01.com/a/l.x?T=ihcncopafmcmmaopjnffjboehifi&M=3>www.greenpeace.ca/turninguptheheat

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Say NO to Incineration

There is an ongoing movement in Ontario to build an "energy from waste"
facility in the municipality of Clarington.  Some of the drawbacks to this
plan include contributions to greenhouse gas emissions; increased risks
for cancer, respiratory and heart diseases, birth defects and other
disorders; creation of highly toxic ash which would require landfilling;
contamination of the land, wildlife and local food supply; a waste of
energy; increased taxes; and the deterrence of sustainable practices such
as reducing, recycling and refusing. There are other alternatives, which
the Region of Durham have not fully explored.  Should this come to pass,
experts predict it will open the door for more incinerators to be built in
Canada in the near future.

Find out more here: 
<http://www.durhamenvironmentwatch.org/incineration.htm>http://www.durhamenvironmentwatch.org/incineration.htm
Sign the petition against incineration: 
<http://www.petitiononline.com/comfirst/petition.html>http://www.petitiononline.com/comfirst/petition.html
To participate in the Sierra Club's waste diversion campaign see: 
<http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/campaigns/waste_diversion/>http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/campaigns/waste_diversion/

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Clean coal's dirty secret

http://therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisdataswitch=0&thisid=1324&thisview=item

Carbon capture won't stop the environmental damage caused by coal mining,
documentary says

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Action for LABELLING of GENETICALLY ENGINEERED  foods
Issued April 8 2008.

There is no labeling of genetically engineered foods in Canada,
despite 10 years of polling that show over 80% of Canadians want
these labels.  40 countries around the world have labeling laws including
Europe, China and Russia. But in Canada, a national standard for voluntary
labeling has been established -- however as this is voluntary, no company
has labeled their products as containing GE ingredients.

Take action for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

<http://www.cban.ca/labeling>http://www.cban.ca/labeling and
<http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/ge/take-action/take-action-on-c517>http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/ge/take-action/take-action-on-c517

A Private Members Bill to label genetically engineered foods (C-517)
was called for debate on April 3 2008 and will come up for a second
hour of debate in April before a vote in the House of Commons.

How will your Member of Parliament vote?

Write or telephone your MP – you can find out who your MP is by using
your postal code at <http://www.parl.gc.ca>www.parl.gc.ca

Here is a sample request :

"I am writing/calling to ask you to vote positively for Private
Members Bill (C-517) from Gilles-A. Perron of Bloc Québécois when it
comes back to the House for debate. C-517 would give me and other
Canadians the right to choose in the grocery store by establishing
mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. I look forward to
hearing from you about your support for this Bill."

Let us know what you MP says! email <mailto:info at cban.ca>info at cban.ca

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice
431 Gilmour Street, Second Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 0R5
Phone: 613 241 2267
Fax: 613 241 2506
<mailto:coordinator at cban.ca>coordinator at cban.ca
http://www.cban.ca

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FDA looks at link between medications, depression

Federal regulators warn that an array of drugs could play a role in
spurring thoughts of suicide or other psychiatric symptoms.

Los Angeles Times
April 14, 2008

As symptoms of depression go, there is none much clearer than having
thoughts of suicide.

But a spate of recent announcements from federal health officials suggests
a surprising new interpretation of suicidal fantasies and the depression
they are thought to signal: Sometimes, sadness, anxiety and
self-destructive thoughts are not symptoms but side effects -- of
medicine.

In this year alone, federal regulators have warned that a surprising array
of drugs could play a role in spurring thoughts of self-destruction.
Medicines that treat epilepsy, asthma and influenza are now under
suspicion, as is one that helps smokers kick the tobacco habit. <snip>

Full article here:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-psycheffects14apr14,1,7572643.story

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                ELECTROSHOCK PROTEST IN OTTAWA
            “Stop Shocking our Mother’s and Grandmothers”
                     May 11, 2008, Sunday - Mothers Day
      Parliament Hill, meet at Centennial Flame, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The International Campaign to Ban Electroshock (ICBE) is organizing a
protest against the use of electroshock in Canada and is asking all
governments in Canada to put a moratorium on the use of electroshock.

Electroshock is also known as shock therapy, ECT, and electroconvulsive
therapy.  60% of ECT is given to women over the age of 60 years old --
usually without informed consent or against their will.

ECT has been proven to cause brain damage 100% of the time. The public has
a right to know the truth about ECT.

The ICBE (International Campaign to Ban Electroshock) deems ECT to be
barbaric, unethical, inhumane, and torture.

For more info call Sue:   613-721-1833

For more on electroshock see:
http://www.icbe.wordpress.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-peter-breggin/disturbing-news-for-patie_b_44734.html

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<http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?archive=&item=3509>http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?archive=&item=3509

April 11, 2008

MANITOBA FIRST IN NORTH AMERICA TO PROPOSE LEGISLATION OF KYOTO COMMITMENT

Climate Change Action Backed Up by $145-million Investment: Premier

Manitoba is taking strong action on climate change by becoming the first
jurisdiction in North America to propose legislating its Kyoto commitment
to reduce greenhouse gases, Premier Gary Doer announced today.

The proposed legislation is supported by more than $145 million in
investments over four years and specific actions that will be released
with the community in the coming weeks. These actions include:
·         A new coal-reduction strategy including a tax on coal emissions,
capital support for coal-reliant industries to convert to cleaner energy
and support for developing biomass, a coal alternative.
·         Public transportation including enshrining in law a 50/50
funding partnership to ensure the province continues to pay half of
transit’s net operating costs including rapid transit.
·         Action on the largest emitters including closing down Manitoba
Hydro’s coal-fired electricity plant in Brandon, except to support
emergency operations, and capturing methane in large landfills. The
province will work with the City of Winnipeg and Manitoba Hydro on a
doable business plan for Brady Landfill that takes into account
expenditures and revenues and provides funding for the project.
·         Greener cars and trucks including expanding the use of
low-carbon fuels, developing a made-in-Manitoba clean vehicle standard,
reducing the number of inefficient automobiles on the road and supporting
new trucking technologies.
·         Alternative transportation choices for consumers including
modernizing highway traffic laws to ensure that leading-edge, low- and
no-emissions vehicles can be sold and driven in Manitoba, and continuing
the consumer rebate for the purchase of hybrid and electric vehicles.
·         Clean energy expansion including energy-efficiency initiatives
and the further development of hydro, wind and geothermal.
·         Agriculture, forestry and community programs including a new
sustainable agriculture program, the planting of five million trees over
the next five years and new programs to help municipalities track
emissions, conserve energy and water, and reduce waste.
·         Coalitions with other Canadian provinces, U.S. states and other
like-minded jurisdictions including sharing best practices, funding of new
research and innovation opportunities, and meeting broader, regional
targets like those set by the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). The
proposed legislation is consistent with WCI targets.

The premier noted that investing in climate-change initiatives upfront
pays dividends later on. Saving energy not only helps the environment, it
produces a rate of return for families, businesses and governments who
realize genuine cost savings. A green economy also provides businesses
with new opportunities to bring innovative products to market, he added.

- 30 -

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Mehdiganj residents demand closure of Coke plant
South Asia/One World, April 10, 2008

Over 1,500 villagers marched to the Coca-Cola company's bottling plant in
Mehdiganj in Varanasi in India last month demanding that the bottling
plant shut down immediately.

The march in Mehdiganj was the latest in a series of protests against the
company in India where communities have accused Coca-Cola bottling plants
for exacerbating the water crises through heavy extraction of water from
the groundwater source and also polluting the groundwater and soil.

Data collected by the Ground Water Board confirm that ground water levels
have dropped up to 8 meters (26 feet) in the first seven years of
Coca-Cola's operations, from 1999 to 2006.

The result has been the drying up of wells and hand water pumps in the
vicinity of Coca-Cola's bottling plants, and continues to pose a
significant crisis for farmers who also rely on the ground water to meet
their needs.

Over 80% people in Mehdiganj are engaged in agriculture, and groundwater
remains the primary source of water for the community to meet all its
water needs.

Full article: http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2008/1034.html

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Inside the Bottle is a Polaris Institute project designed to stimulate
citizen awareness about the bottled water industry.

Find out more about the Bottled Water Free Zones Campaign, Coca Cola
petition, Nestle, and more.

http://www.insidethebottle.org/

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