Gardasil, dirty oil, carbon tax, no drugs reps, DCHC, idling

Sat Jul 5 16:37:56 EDT 2008

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"The bicycle is a vehicle for revolution. It can destroy the tyranny of
the automobile as effectively as the printing press brought down despots
of flesh and blood. The revolution will be spontaneous, the sum total of
individual revolts like my own. It may have already begun."
Daniel Behrman

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An Interview with Amory Lovins
-- The energy-efficiency guru who cofounded the Rocky Mountain Institute
advocates feebates, negawatts, and letting the little guys play --
renewables vs. nuclear.

May/June 2008 Issue, Mother Jones Magazine

http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2008/05/interview-let-the-little-guys-play.html

"Because all three of those problems—climate change, oil dependence, and
the spread of nuclear weapons—go away if we just use energy in a way that
saves money, and since that transition is not costly but profitable, it
can actually be led by business, and in its coevolution with civil society
is the most dynamic force we have."

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Gardasil -- the experiment on teenage girls

Though approved for marketing by the FDA in May 2006, Merck's HPV
vaccine, Gardasil, is still in the testing stages, and will not be fully
evaluated for safety until September 2009! Already as many as 18 girls
have died after receiving Gardasil.

Gardasil gained FDA approval under a fast track process -- within 6 months
of testing. Fast-track approval is a process reserved for life-saving
products
with the potential to fill an unmet medical need, such as, new cancer
treatments or AIDS drugs.

A special report issued by Judicial Watch, "Examining the FDA's HPV
Vaccine Records: Detailing the Approval Process, Side-Effects, Safety
Concerns and Marketing Practices of a Large-Scale Public Health
Experiment" is (June 30, 2008) shows that aggressive lobbying by Merck --
rather than medical need backed by scientific data -- led the FDA to
approve Gardasil before adequate testing for safety had been completed.

The report is a MUST READ for every parent considering vaccinating a
daughter with Merck's papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil. The report
should be required reading for every public health official and policy
maker.

http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/JWReportFDAhpvVaccineRecords.pdf

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Bitten by the deal that once fed us
Canadians should hope for an Obama presidency and the reopening of NAFTA

by GORDON LAXER
Globe and Mail, June 23, 2008

If Mr. Obama wins in November and brings his issues - labour and
environment standards - to the table, Canada should prepare its own list.
At the top should be getting out of the "energy proportionality"
straitjacket that mandates that Canada must offer a majority of its oil
and gas to the United States, even if Canadians freeze in the dark.
Proportionality is "unique in all of the world's treaties," writes Richard
Heinberg, a noted California author on energy. In no other developed
country are citizens denied first access to their own resources. "Canada
has every reason to repudiate the proportionality clause," Mr. Heinberg
continues, "unilaterally and immediately."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080623.wconafta23/BNStory/specialComment/home

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Wow -- an inspiring example of a community taking responsibility for it's
carbon footprint!

http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/

Their goals are:
	1.	To explore and then follow pathways of practical actions that will
reduce our carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
	2.	To build the town's resilience, that is, its ability to withstand
shocks from the outside, through being more self reliant in areas such as
food, energy, health care, jobs and economics.  

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Beat Global Heat Backyard Festival: Saturday, July 26th

Saturday, July 26th is going to be hot!  The first ever Beat Global Heat
Backyard Festival will see a series of small scale concerts independently
organized by people like you across Canada. Your neighbours and friends
will get together in backyards and other outdoor spaces to listen to live
music, connect with others of like-mind and join the campaign to put a
price on climate pollution.

Sign up at <http://beatglobalheat.org/>beatglobalheat
.<http://beatglobalheat.org/>org to host your own Backyard Festival,
participate in one, or perform at one; Beat Global Heat will help you get
things organised.  You can also check out Beat Global Heat on Facebook:
<http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=29972648176>
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=29972648176

News of global warming can be personally overwhelming, but there are
millions of people around the world tackling this crisis. Why not join in?
Protecting the climate need not be a chore. Create a music festival in
your backyard or neighbourhood green space and join voices with others
making a difference on this issue.

We can beat global heat....together!

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PharmedOut.org http://www.pharmedout.org/  is issuing a "No Drug Reps"
certificate to physicians who want to restore integrity to the practice of
medicine in the U.S. by freeing themselves from drug company influence.

The certificate is downloadable at:
http://www.pharmedout.org/NoDrugRepsCertificate.pdf

"This office does not allow visits from pharmaceutical salespeople
because we rely on scientific information, not marketing, to
decide what treatment is best for you.

This policy also means that we don't provide drug samples.
"Free" drug samples cost you money. Samples are only available
for the most expensive, most-promoted drugs, and are a tactic to
get you to use drugs that may not be the best therapy for you."

Greenspiration salutes PharmedOut for this initiative -- let's hope that
thousands of physicians decide to say NO to drug companies. Why not print
off a copy and take it to your doctor inviting her/him to post it?

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B.C. carbon tax kicks: environmental groups provide reality check

Drivers in B.C. started paying an extra 2.4 cents per litre of gasoline on
Tuesday as the provincial carbon tax kicked in. The tax, introduced in the
February 19th budget, is applied to carbon-based fuels at a rate of $10
per tonne of greenhouse gases generated. Last week, a coalition of ten
environmental groups released a “Reality Check” fact sheet responding to
the top five misconceptions about the new tax.

 B.C. carbon tax kicks in on Canada Day:
<http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/06/30/bc-carbon-tax-effective.html>http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/06/30/bc-carbon-tax-effective.html

Read the press release from environmental groups:
<http://www.davidsuzuki.org/latestnews/dsfnews06260801.asp>http://www.davidsuzuki.org/latestnews/dsfnews06260801.asp

Read the “Reality Check” fact sheet:
<http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Carbon_Tax_Reality_Check.asp>http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Carbon_Tax_Reality_Check.asp

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UK releases strategy for 15% renewable energy by 2020

The UK government last week released a national renewable energy blueprint
designed to cut carbon emissions and meet a 15% renewable energy target by
2020, a ten-fold increase over current levels. Last year, the UK joined
other EU countries in committing that 20% of the EU's energy consumption
must come from renewables by 2020.

Brown unveils £100bn renewable energy plan:
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jun/26/greenpolitics.energy>http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jun/26/greenpolitics.energy

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I am an Energy [R]evolutionary

We're sending a message to the world leaders who will be meeting at the G8
Summit in Tyo ko, Japan. If you agree the statement below, please sign it,
and ask that the leaders of Germany, Japan, the US, Canada, Australia,
France, Italy, Russia, and the UK join YOU by becoming Energy
[R]evolutionaries.

I’m asking world leaders to deliver an Energy Revolution to save the
climate. I'm asking for...
- A global treaty that cuts greenhouse gas emissions by more than half by
2050
- Renewable Energy supplying more than half the world's power by 2050
- Laws that dramatically improve global energy efficiency, from
light-bulbs to automobiles
- Powering the world with as little coal as possible and no nuclear power
- An end to climate-endangering deforestation

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/climate-change/take_action/wanted-energy-r-evolutionari

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Alberta Failing to Enforce Environmental Laws in the Tar Sands

Wednesday, 02 July 2008

After a recent spate of 'greening' campaigns by government and industry
for the Tar Sands, information obtained by ForestEthics shows government
is failing to enforce environmental regulations, giving oil sands
companies a free ride.
Oil companies operating in the Tar Sands were fined only $249,000 in 2006,
despite numerous environmental violations including 240 air quality
exceedances by just one company, Suncor. By comparison, library fines for
Alberta's largest cities, Calgary and Edmonton, totaled more than $4
million that same year, in 2006, or sixteen times more than what all the
oil companies were fined for their environmental violations.
"The Tar Sands is the largest fossil fuel project on the planet, home to
toxic tailing ponds and Canada's worst air quality, and yet Albertans are
fined more for returning their library books late," said Gillian
McEachern, senior campaigner with ForestEthics. "Government and industry
are saying the Tar Sands are controlled by strict environmental standards,
but the government's own records show that's clearly not the case." <snip>
 http://activistmagazine.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=903&Itemid=143

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Children's suicide attempts raise concerns about ADHD medication

Globe and Mail
July 3, 2008

New questions are being raised about the safety of a drug used to treat
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder amid reports that more than 40
Canadian children have attempted suicide after taking it.

The issue highlights a long-brewing debate over the decision to prescribe
powerful drugs to treat complex psychiatric problems among children.
<snip>

<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080703.wadhd03/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080703.wadhd03/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

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Medical officer wants idling limited to 10 seconds
Thur. Jul. 03/08

<http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080703/idling_bylaw_proposal_080703/20080703/?hub=TorontoNewHome>http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080703/idling_bylaw_proposal_080703/20080703/?hub=TorontoNewHome

Toronto's Board of Health has passed a proposal from the city's medical
officer of health that aims to limit the time vehicles can idle to just 10
seconds. <snip>

Under Toronto's current anti-idling bylaw, drivers in vehicles that are
running for more than three minutes can be ticketed. The fine for the
infraction is $125.

McKeown says more needs to be done to clean the air because figures show
pollution kills 1,700 residents in Toronto every year. <snip>

The Board of Health is also asking the provincial and federal governments
to look into making it mandatory to put devices in vehicles that would
automatically shut off the engines if idled too long.

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