Jos Basescu???

Nu trebuie sa ingheti in strada daca vrei sa dai jos guvernul, sistemul sau clasa politica corupta. Metodele de protest care le aplicati voi sint cele care le asteapta ei. Sint pregatiti iar iar voi nu faceti decit sa-i antrenati pe viu sa-si testeze metodele, tacticile si strategiile. Solutia este mult mai simpla:

Incetati sa-i mai suportati pe paraziti prin:
- renuntarea la "serviciile" pe care vi le ofera societatea "moderna".

Daca nu puteti facea asta atunci suportati sclavia, SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, NAAD si altele care nu e spatiu si timp sa le enumar aici. Alta solutie nu exista.

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/06/03/pol-senate-page.html

How to Overthrow Corporate Rule in 5 Not-so-easy Steps

Resources and information on fighting corporate power, democratizing our government and freeing people's time.

Many people are spending a lot of their time volunteering to stop specific environmental threats, to address a specific labor issue, or to stop various other corporate abuses to our communities. The number of problems seems endless. Isn't there a faster way to save the world?
This page is devoted to those who are interested in getting to the root of society's problems. How nice would it be if our government wasn't answering to their corporate masters, but to community concerns? How much easier would our efforts be if people weren't so overworked and had more time to volunteer? Wouldn't it be great to have the media reporting critically on serious community issues rather than pandering to the the interests of their wealthy owners and advertizers?
These are the reforms that make other reforms possible. If fighting for institutional change is too difficult for you, jump down to the section on personal things you can do to consume less.

Take away their money:

1. • Stop privatization / Re-socialize systems
     Privatized systems mean that corporations get to profit from providing important social services which could be provided by (hopefully democratically-controlled) public bodies. Get involved in efforts to stop privitization of schools, municipal water/sewer systems, trash collection or other social services. Better yet, get involved in efforts to put services like health care or electric power under public control.
     White Paper on Privatization
     Polaris Institute
     Public Services International Research Unit
   • Boycott / protest big corporations
     Withdraw your support from large corporations by consuming less and supporting local, small businesses when possible.
     Corporate Dirt Archives (learn what's wrong with specific corporations)
     What should I buy?? (personal things you can do to consume less)
   • Fight corporate "wealthfare"
     Get corporations off the public dole and work to stop subsidy abuse by opposing things like public funding for private stadiums, excessive and unneeded highway projects and other tax breaks, subsidies and bailouts which are not in the public interest. Welfare is for people, not corporations!
     Corporate Welfare Information Center

Rostopasca - o planta ce face minuni ?

Greu sa mai gasesti in natura o imperechere asa de desavarsita intre modestie si forta. Banala ca infatisare, cu floricica ei galbena pusa-n cruce, rostopasca este una dintre cele mai puternice plante de pe pamant. Nu degeaba credeau alchimistii ca pot scoate aur din petalele ei. Se spunea ca are o forta egala cu a soarelui si de asta romanii au botezat-o "Chelidonium", "darul cerului", iar vracii o culegeau numai in crucea zilei, cand soarele era in zodia Leului. Dar si faimosii botanisti ai antichitatii i-au acordat rostopascai mare consideratie. Paracelsus facea o analogie intre laptele ei de culoare portocalie si secretia biliara, folosind-o in vindecareaficatului, a bilei si-a fierii. Chiar si Hahnemann, fondatorul homeopatiei, isi vindeca bolnavii de ficat cu rostopasca, in vreme ce cu mult inaintea lui, Dioscoride o recomanda pentru vindecarea cataractei si a conjunctivitei. O confirmare "istorica" a calitatilor ei ii apartine marelui pictor german Albrecht Durer, care a imortalizat-o intr-o pictura, dupa ce cu ajutorul ei s-a vindecat de ficat. Astazi, rostopasca este recomandata ca remediu in peste 150 de afectiuni, de la dermatoze banale, la temutul cancer sau la infectiile virale, inca imposibil de tratat cu medicamentele actuale. Dar sa-i cunoastem mai indeaproape "minunile".

First approval worldwide of fungicides with Initium for wine and vegetables

010-01-11
P-10-110

• New fungicide products authorized by Romania in record time
• Wine and vegetable growers profit from high efficacy and environmental compatibility

LIMBURGERHOF, Germany, January 11, 2010 – Romania was the first country worldwide to authorize Initium products. Registration came at just the right moment, since wine growing in Romania is currently undergoing profound changes – Romanian winegrowers aim to establish themselves in the European market by improvements in quality. The innovative fungicide product will help the winegrowers to move over more quickly to profitable, high quality production.

Sustainable plant protection for high quality: Romanian winegrowers can profit from Initium products soon.

In addition to the Initium product for grapes, which will be available in Romania from 2010 onwards under the name Enervin™, authorization was also granted for Zampro™, an Initium-based fungicide for the specialty crops potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Both products were extensively tested in field trials and showed high selectivity and efficacy against late blight and downy mildew. "Because of the very favourable environmental profile of Initium, the products were authorized in the record time of four years," said Roland Ringel, Head of the Initium Global Development Project. And in fact, Initium products are not only in high degree environmentally compatible, they are also very user-friendly – they dissolve rapidly and dust-free in water, thus saving time and ensuring extra safety.

Rural Canada, partea necunoscuta

In urma cu aprox o luna m-am trezit dimineata pe la 8 dupa o tura de noapte de zgomotele de afara produse de o echipa de contarctori care incepusera sa imi taie crengile de la 2 copacii care imi apartin, din fata casei. Am vorbit cu ei si au spus ca au fost trimisi de primarie nu ptr ca crengile ar periclita cumva cablurile electrice sau telefonice (de care au altii grija) ci ptr ca masinile lor de curatat zapada nu ar intra pe sub crengile aplecate. Am zis OK, oricum imi trebuie lemne ptr foc si desi trebuia sa ma instinteze cel putin verbal am inceput sa lucram impreuna to get the job done. Le-am spus ca nu trebuie sa piarda vremea sa ciopartesca lemnele ptr ca o s-o fac eu cu masina mea asa ca mi-au lasat trunchiurile cam de 150 cm lungime. Am fost multumit ca ei au taiat partile de sus la care eu nu puteam sa ajung fara macara. Dupa ce au plecat, vreo 2 ore, ca ei i-a pauza de 30 minute la fiecare 10 minute, m-am apucat de treaba sa tai resturile si sa le transport in spatele curtii. Au cam trecut vreo 2-3 zile, ptr ca si scurtate au fost destul de grele, am facut vreo 5 transporturi cu truckul.

Oamenii care tund iarba

se vede ca evanghelismul sectant occidental patrunde cu viclenie pe acest portal. Bucurati-va fratii ortodocsi romani, occidentul depravat si corupt este in agonie. Falsa lor credinta in Hristos este credinta in $$$. Asta este religia lor adevarata iar acum institutiile lor se clatina. Ei fug acum si cauta adapost si la romani.
Noi stim cine sint ei chiar daca vin in blana de oaie.

Ei sint criminalii umanitatii ei au secatuit si otravit pamintul, aerul si apele.

Ei sint oamenii care tund iarba.

Ei sint cei care va vor binele atunci cind nu aveti nevoie decit de binecuvintarea Domnului.

Plimba ba URSUL

Every year in India and Pakistan over 100 bear cubs are illegally poached from the wild and sold at markets to nomadic gypsies known as Kalandars. Many of the cubs die from neglect, dehydration and distress during the long trek back to the Kalandar village. Those cubs that do survive are put on a punishing regime of starvation and beatings as a way to begin the brutal conditioning process to teach them perform for tourists. Their sensitive muzzles are pierced using a hot iron needle without anesthetic, which often leads to infection. A course rope is threaded through the hole and is used to roughly pull the bear around the crowded city streets. "The tug of this rope, along with the intense fear of the strike of a heavy stick, motivates the bear to lift its legs in turn and dance" says Geete Sashamani, a WSPA researcher who witnessed this painful and traumatic process.
Due to poor diets, abuse and neglect, dancing bears rarely live past the age of eight; whereas in the wild they can live up to 30 years. Once captured and cruelly tamed, a dancing bear can never be returned to the wild; its most optimistic outlook is retirement to a sanctuary. This endangered species will become extinct if this trade continues.

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Happy Nation

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT DEMOGRAPHIC WINTER


Question : What is population stability, and why is the number 2.1 so important?

Answer:
Population stability is the point of equilibrium at which a country’s population is neither growing nor declining. In order to maintain current population, the average woman must have 2.1 children during her lifetime. Essentially, she needs to replace herself and a man. Because some children will die before reaching maturity, slightly more than two children are needed. Hence, 2.1.

A birthrate of more than 2.1 equals population growth. A birthrate of less than 2.1 means long term population decline. The rate of 2.1 is based on currently low infant mortality rates. In countries where infant mortality is higher, the birthrate required for population replacement would also be higher.

Question: What does the expression “Demographic Winter” mean?

Answer:
“Demographic Winter” denotes the worldwide decline in birthrates, also referred to as a “birth-dearth,” and what it portends.

Demographer Philip Longman (author of “The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity”) observes: “The ongoing global decline in human birthrates is the single most powerful force affecting the fate of nations and the future of society in the 21st. century.”

Worldwide, birthrates have been halved in the past 50 years. There are now 59 nations, with 44% of the world’s population, with below-replacement fertility

Sometime in this century, the world’s population will begin to decline. At a certain point, the decline will become rapid. We may even reach population free-fall in our lifetimes.For some countries, population decline is already a reality. Russia is losing three-quarters-of-a-million people a year. Its population (currently 145 million) is expected to fall by one-third by 2050.

The term “nuclear winter,” popularized in the 1980s, alluded to the catastrophic environmental impact of a nuclear war. The long-term consequences of demographic winter could be equally devastating.


Question: What is replacement fertility, and why is the number 2.1 so important?

Answer:
Replacement fertility is the point of equilibrium at which a country’s population is neither growing nor declining. In order to maintain current population, the average woman must have 2.1 children during her lifetime. Essentially, she needs to replace herself and a man. Because some children will die before reaching maturity, slightly more than two children are needed. Hence, 2.1.

A birthrate of more than 2.1 equals population growth. A birthrate of less than 2.1 long-term means population decline.


Question: If birthrates are declining, why does the world’s population continue to grow?

Answer:
If it’s already in motion, a car in neutral will continue moving for a while, especially if it’s going downhill, even if gas isn’t being injected into the engine.
Today’s population growth is due to two factors: 1. higher fertility rates in the 1950s and 60s, and 2. people living longer than ever before.

The thing to remember is this: Declining birthrates will equal a declining population worldwide at some point in the next few decades. In the West (especially in Europe) population decline will become a reality much sooner. In some countries, such as Russia, it’s already happening.

A nation’s demographic future can be seen in its current birthrate. In Europe, the number of children under 5 has declined by 36% since 1960. Worldwide, there are 6 million fewer children, 6 and under, today, than there were in 1990. If present trends continue, the United Nations estimates that by 2050 there will be 248 million fewer children in the world then there are now.


Question: Where are birthrates lowest?

Answer:
Of the 10 countries with the lowest birthrates, 9 are in Europe. Overall, the European fertility rate is 1.3, well below replacement level (2.1). No European nation has a replacement-level birthrate.

Italy’s fertility rate is 1.2. Spain’s is 1.1. That means in the not-too-distant future, absent massive immigration, these countries will lose half of their people in every generation.

Russia’s birthrate fell from 2.4 in 1990 to 1.17 today – a decline of more than 50% in less than 20 years. Each year, there are more abortions than live births in the Russian Federation.

While birthrates are also plummeting in developing nations, most still have above-replacement fertility – for the time being.
The U.S. fertility rate is around 2.1, just about replacement level, and continues to hover around that rate, due in part to higher immigrant birthrates. How long this will continue is anyone’s guess.


Question: What are the consequences of demographic decline?

Answer:
Economist Robert J. Samuelson wrote in a June 15, 2005 column in The Washington Post: “It’s hard to be a great power if your population is shriveling.” Samuelson warned: “Europe as we know it is going out of business…. Western Europe’s population grows dramatically grayer, projects the U.S. Census Bureau. Now about one-sixth of the population is 65 and older. By 2030, that could be one-fourth and by 2050, almost one-third.”

By the mid-point of this century, 16% of the world’s population will be over 65. By 2040, there will be 400 million elderly Chinese.
If present low birthrates persist, the European Union estimates there will be a continent-wide shortfall of 20 million workers by 2030.

Who will operate the factories and farms in the Europe of the future? Who will develop the natural resources? Where will Russia find the soldiers to guard the frontiers of the largest nation on Earth?

Who will care for a graying population? A burgeoning elderly population combined with a shrinking work force will lead to a train-wreck for state pension systems.

This only skims the surface of the way demographic decline will change the face of civilization. Even the environment will be adversely impacted. With severely strained public budgets, developed nations will no longer be willing to shoulder the costs of industrial clean-up or a reduction of CO2 emissions.


Question: What factors contribute to demographic decline?

Answer:
A number of social trends of the post-war era have converged to create a perfect storm for Demographic Winter.

Men and women are delaying marriage, making it less likely they’ll have more than one or two children. Today in the West, almost one in two marriages ends in divorce. The children of divorce are less likely to marry and form families themselves.

More married women are putting off having children for careers. After 35, it becomes progressively harder for women to conceive.
The news and entertainment media tell young adults that satisfaction comes from careers, romance, travel and “personal growth” – not from having children. It’s rare that Hollywood even portrays large families (today, more than 2 children). The culture’s message is live-for-moment and live primarily for yourself, with no sense of obligation to generations past or concern for posterity.

The growth of cohabitation also has an impact. (In Scandinavia, almost as many couples are living together as married.) Cohabitation is not conducive to childbearing or childrearing.

For the past 20 to 30 years, children have been taught that over-population (the so-called population bomb) will wreak havoc on the environment and economic development. Not surprisingly, children thus indoctrinated frequently choose to have fewer children when they reach maturity.
Religious observance has been shown to correlate with higher birthrates. The increasing secularization of Western societies has been accompanied by lower birthrates.

Thus, every aspect of modernity works against family life and in favor of singleness and small families or voluntary childlessness.


Question: Can’t the problem be fixed by increased immigration?

Answer:
In a demographic sense, this is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
The host country gains people, but the home country loses. The developing world, which has seen its own birthrate cut in half since 1970 (from almost 6 to barely 4), can ill afford to lose large numbers through emigration. The loss of labor from these countries adversely impacts their own economy and since the majority of those who leave are the men, many children are now growing up without a father, creating other social problems for these countries. The developing world is paying a high price to bail out the developed world’s lack of labor due to low fertility rates.

Mass immigration changes the national character of the host country. Immigrants tend to have a lower education level than natives. Many never learn the language of their new home or identify with its history and heritage.This changes the social and political makeup of the host countries, in some cases so dramatically that it is causing social and political unrest.


Question: Can’t demographic winter be countered by governments encouraging people to have more children?

Answer:
This is being tried in Western Europe and Russia. The Russian Federation pays families a bonus of 250,000 rubles (the equivalent of $9,200) for every child after the first – in a nation where the average monthly wage is only $330. It’s not working.

Couples decide to have children for all kinds of reasons – religious, emotional, cultural, etc. Money doesn’t seem to be one of them, although money concerns are sometimes cited as a reason for having fewer children.

Children are a life-long commitment. While governments should make childrearing easier, by lowering the tax-burden on families (out of self-interest if not fairness), cash incentives so far haven’t worked.


Question: If the United States has near-replacement fertility, why should we care?

Answer:
All of the factors that are leading Europe into the depths of Demographic Winter are present in the United States as well, including high divorce rates, the rise of cohabitation, families putting off procreation to pursue careers, an anti-family culture and voluntary childlessness.

We may be a few decades behind Europe, but we’re heading in the same direction.

National economies are interconnected to such an extent that the impact of economic collapse in one country or region can be felt around the world.

The social, political and economic decline of previously stable nations can destabilize entire regions and create perils for neighbors and far-away allies. The United States is connected to Europe economically and through multiple security treaties.


Question: What Is “Demographic Winter: Decline of the Human Family”

Answer:
“Demographic Winter: Decline of the Human Family,” is the first of two documentary films. Together they explore every aspect of demographic decline based on interviews with scholars, researchers, economists, demographers, government representatives, civil and religious leaders from 33 countries.

Produced by Barry McLerran and directed by Rick Stout, with executive director Steven Smoot, “Demographic Winter” brings together a number of disciplines to examine and analyze what could be the greatest threat confronting humanity in the 21st century.

Some things we can do...

Consumption

• Avoid buying newly manufactured things, instead buy second hand or make our own.
• Avoid large chain stores and supermarkets.
• Buy things from small and local businesses.
• Favor worker cooperatives over corporations.
• Wherever possible buy direct from producers.
• Support local currencies.
• Trade or give gifts in preference to using money.

Communities

• Smile at people and meet their eyes.
• Give open-minded/hearted time to those people around us.
• Organise parties and celebrations (eg. a dinner party where everyone brings a homemade dish or a childrens party where each parent organises a game)
• Organise rotating work parties and skill-sharing events.
• Vision together the future of our communities and make it happen by a combination of negotiations with local councils and direct action. (If you think that unused roadside could make a good veg garden then get some friends together and just go ahead and do it)

Food And Land

• Propagate and plant edible perennial plants wherever possible on any available land.
• Learn how to grow food and save seeds.
• Set up personal and community food growing.
• Stick to seasonal, local and organic foods.
• Eat meat in moderation.
• Have a go at making bread, preserving food, making cheese, brewing etc..
• Enjoy cooking and eating good food. Treat our food with reverence.
• Learn what wild plants grow in our areas and learn how to use them for food and medicine.
• Protect and encourage biodiversity and wild areas (eg. a small wild patch at the bottom of your garden could be a haven for birds and small animals).
• Make a pond.

Energy

• Use wood (biomass) for heating. Install wood burners. Take firewood from the waste stream and plant local or personal firewood supplies. In a climate like Britain's, short rotation coppice crops such as willow can be fully productive in 3 years and a 30 x 50m area can heat an efficient family house.
• Heat water with wood and solar energy. (A solar water heater can easily be made from scrap materials in a day or two.)
• Use renewable electricity. Switch mains connections to suppliers who only deal in renewable energy.
• Set up and use local or personal energy production systems. Small scale hydroelectric systems in particular offer simply maintained systems with high and reliable returns for the amount of invested energy.
• Practice basic woodwork, metalwork etc to make and repair basic items and tools.
• Compost food and human waste to build soil fertility and reduce energy demands of waste disposal.

Lifestyle

• Withdraw investment from houses. Move to a cheaper home or make our own (most cheaply done without permission).
• Work less.
• This will free up time and energy to develop sustainable ways of living as well as removing support from destructive systems.
• Do not take employment from organizations which are unsustainable or who's actions are not benefiting the world.
• Maximize our autonomy from state and corporate control structures.
• Move from urban to rural areas and start working some land.

Consideration

• Consider what elements of our world and society are of greatest value to us (air, water, food supplies, medicines...?)
• Consider what elements /service / products we could happily do without (war, this year's fashion, more DVDs, a bigger car...?)
• Be aware that the more we have of the latter, the more we threaten the former.
• Whenever we spend money or play an active role in society, take time to consider the consequences of our actions. (Buying a tank of fuel supports the violent occupation of the middle east, buying cheap clothes supports sweatshops and child labour, buying from transnational corporations funds the extraction of capital from poorer countries and the erosion of human rights)
• Consider our modern world from the point of view of our ancestors.
• Count our blessings.
• Appreciate the beauty and fragility of life, human and otherwise.
• Make time to appreciate and congratulate ourselves - we are all amazing and powerful beings.
• Smile, laugh, love and dream. Be present and don't worry.

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Glitch shuts "Big Bang" collider for two months

GENEVA (Reuters) - A technical glitch has forced scientists to shut down the huge particle-smashing machine built to simulate the conditions of the "Big Bang" for at least two months, they said on Saturday.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) said there had been a major helium leak on Friday into the tunnel housing the biggest and most complex machine ever made.

Just 10 days ago, scientists had celebrated the successful start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) under the Swiss-French border, hoping it would revamp modern physics and unlock secrets about the universe and its origins.

In order to fix the problem, the machine will have to be warmed up from its operating temperature of minus 271.3 degrees Celsius (minus 456.3 degrees Fahrenheit), spokesman James Gillies said.

"Because the LHC is a superconducting machine that works at very low temperatures, in order to get in and fix it we've got to warm it up, then we go and fix it, and then we cool it down again, and that's a process that's likely to take two months," he said.

The organization said strict safety regulations had ensured there was no risk to people from the malfunction.

The project has had to work hard to dismiss suggestions by some critics that the experiment could create tiny black holes of intense gravity that could suck in the whole planet.

Since the machine started up earlier this month, scientists have successfully sent particle beams around the accelerator.

The next step will be to smash the beams into each other to trigger tiny collisions at nearly the speed of light.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT PESTICIDES

The Quebec Poison Control Centre and the Quebec Ministry of Environment and Wildlife released statistics on pesticide poisoning in 1996. They reported a staggering 1,650 poisoning cases. 79.4% of the cases were in private homes, and 46.1% of the victims were children under age five. 31% of these cases were due to oral ingestion, and 34.9% followed a pesticide application (1).

What are Pesticides?

Pesticides (herbicides, vermicides, fungicides, and rodenticides) are poisons designed to kill insects, plants, fungi, moulds and rodents. Pesticides contain “active” ingredients (the chemicals intended to kill), and so-called “inert” ingredients. These are considered trade secrets, and although in many cases they can be even more toxic than “active” chemicals, most consumers are completely unaware they exist. Even when used as directed, pesticides have many negative side effects on human health and the environment.

Does “Registered” Mean Safe?

Although pesticides used and sold in Canada are registered, this does not mean they are safe. Even the federal government regulators do not claim that registration equals safety. Pesticides are not tested in combination, although their synergistic effects may be amplified as much as 1000 times. While pesticides produce acute and long-term health effects, toxicity experiments (done on healthy animals) measure and account for only the acute effects. The pesticides that are deemed acceptable for use as a result of these tests do not take into account the possible chronic effects (2). “Acceptable” tolerance levels are set for an average adult male, and do not take into account the different situations of women and children.Some Environmental Effects Some pesticides accumulate in the fatty tissues of mammals, amphibians, birds and fish, interfering with their growth, reproduction and behaviour. Pesticides poison the food chain, contaminate water supplies, and are implicated in the declining populations of certain species.

What are the Health Effects?

Acute Effects: The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has identified acute health effects in humans including nausea, eye, skin, respiratory and throat irritation, muscle spasms, and even death (3).

Chronic effects: Repeated exposure to pesticides has been linked to neurological problems, brain and lung cancer, immune suppression (which creates environmental hypersensitivity), leukaemia, Parkinson’s disease, kidney damage, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and reproductive disorders, including endocrine disruption, low sperm count, and sterility(4).

Children are Vulnerable: Pound for pound of body weight, children consume considerably more pesticides than adults. Kids are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects because their metabolic systems don’t process or excrete toxins the way adults’ systems do. Children typically play in grass and dirt, and put toys and hands in their mouths, activities that significantly increase their exposure to pesticides. Children from homes where pesticides are used have been found to have four times the risk of soft tissue sarcomas (cancerous growths (5) and between six and seven times the rate of childhood leukaemia as other children (6).

Sweden Has Not Allowed

2,4-D Since 19892,4-D is the most commonly used herbicide in Canada. It was a major component of Agent Orange, and is still used in over 1,500 lawn-care products (including Killex and Weed ‘n Feed). Cancer in dogs has been linked to their owners’ use of 2,4-D (7).

“ Insects...are the most important component of the ecosystem, an integral part of the food chain...without insects the vast majority of flowering plants would not be able to reproduce. A miniscule fraction of this huge group of animals are pests to human beings….spraying powerful poisons that kill all exposed insects is no more ‘management’ of pest than killing everyone in New York city would be managing urban crime.” David Suzuki – The folly of Chemical Pest Control

The Pesticide Treadmill

Once you begin to apply pesticides, your lawn can become addicted to chemical treatment. Repeated applications can cause soil to become conditioned, which speeds up degradation of the pesticides. This results in the need to apply increasingly toxic chemicals at more frequent intervals to control the pest problem. Meanwhile, beneficial organisms are killed off, soil can become sterile, and pesticide-resistant insects breed to produce a species able to withstand the toxins and continue eating your grass!

References
1. Centre Anti-Poison du Quebec, Rapport annuel 1996: statistiques sur les intoxicantions par les pesticides, April 1997.
2. National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, Lawn pesticide facts and figures, NCAMP, San Francisco, US, 1992.
3. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety bulletin, Ottawa,1990.
4. Environment Canada, Pesticides, the right amount. Ottawa, 1989.
5. American Journal of Public Health, “study suggests possible link of child cancer, home pesticides”. Ottawa Citizen, Feb.27, 1995.
6. Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
7. Hayes et al., Journal of the Nation Cancer Institute vol.83, 1991.



Pesticide Reduction

Pesticides in Canada are widespread and commonly used in households- yet few Canadians are informed about the negative effects of these chemicals. Pesticide regulation in Canada is seen as inadequate by many and pesticides are promoted as “safe”; the risks associated with their use minimized. The continued use of pesticides in Canada contributes to a build-up of harmful chemicals in the environment.

According to Canadian studies, DDT and DDE residual levels in the breast milk to Inuit women in the Eastern Arctic are 1210 parts per billion, compared to 171 parts per billion in women in Southern Ontario. The extreme levels of persistent pesticides in Arctic people and animals high on the food chain are largely a result of transboundary transport and bioaccumulation. Similar build-ups of other harmful pesticides have been recorded in various parts of Canada including the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and the Prairies.

Over 34 million kilograms of pesticides are used annually across Canada. According to the National Research Council, expenditures on pesticides have doubled between 1980 and 1990 and have increased eightfold since 1970.

The negative effects of pesticides in the Canadian environment are already evident and well documented. For example, autopsies performed on a group of Canada Geese that died inexplicably near Simcoe Ontario in September 1996 revealed that the grass and clover found in their digestive systems contained diazinon-a lethal chemical used on lawns. The birds were reported to have been behaving erratically and showed signs of blood in the feces and mucus streaming from their mouths.

In another incident in Manitoba, a 13 kilometer stretch of trees was wiped out by the chemical Roundup (a broadleaf pesticide, chemical name glyphospate) that was sprayed on nearby fields. Roundup is promoted by industry as a safe pesticide, despite the fact that it has proved to be far more toxic than its initial registration revealed.

The Health and Environment program area’s Pesticide Reduction program works directly with the federal government on pesticide issues through many stakeholder committees including the Pest Management Advisory Council and the Healthy Lawns Labelling Subcommittee.



2,4-D
Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid

General

2,4-D is a very popular lawn care pesticide in Canada and according to American manufactures, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) is the most widely used herbicide in the world.[1] It is sold under a variety of product names including numerous “weed and feed” lawn care products. A chlorinated phenoxy herbicide, 2,4-D is unique in that it causes a variety of different effects to the nervous system.

How It Works

2,4D is a growth inhibitor. It is absorbed into a plant through the plant’s surface. The weed killer circulates through all parts of the plant mimicking hormones called auxins which control numerous development and growth processes[2]. It causes abnormal growth, blocking the passage of liquids and nutrients. Subsequently, the roots starve and the plant dies.[3]

Health Effects

In mammals, 2,4-D disrupts energy production[4], depleting the body of its primary energy molecule, ATP (adenosine triphosphate)[5] 2,4-D has been shown to cause cellular mutations which can lead to cancer. This mutagen contains dioxins, a group of chemicals known to be hazardous to human health and to the environment[6].Documented health problems relate to 2,4-D include reproductive damage(i.e. sterility), respiratory difficulties, atrophy, nausea, loss of appetite, skin rashes, eye irritation, and chronic headaches[7]. Non-Hodgkins lymphoma has also been associated with 2,4-D exposure[8]. Furthermore, there is evidence of teratogenicity (birth defects) and mutagencity (mutation of cells) provided by studies involving 2,4-D and lab animals[9].Workers applying chlorinated phenoxy herbicides frequently have nervous system disorders, are exposed to a higher risk of soft tissue sarcoma, and show symptoms of hormonal and internal organ irregularities.[10][11] A study of farmers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba linked use of 2,4-D to an increased incidence of prostate cancer.[12]In the urban setting, it has been proven that households using 2,4-D put their dogs at twice the risk of developing canine malignant lymphoma.[13]These risks are elevated when one discovers that homeowners using 2,4-D are likely to track the pesticide into their home where it is expected to persist for up to one year.[14]

Environmental Effects

2,4-D is a moderately persistent chemical with a half-life between 20 and 200 days. Unfortunately, the herbicide does not affect target weeds alone. It can cause low growth rates, reproductive problems, changes in appearance or behaviour, or death in non-target species.Additionally, the spraying of 2,4-D often, contaminates ground water systems because of its very high mobility in soils and weak binding to soil particles[15]. About 91.7% of 2,4-D will eventually end up in water.[16] This contamination threatens the vegetation and the animal life that consumes it. The chemical will also be carried by run-off into the local river systems, thereby jeopardizing the health of aquatic life as well.

Who Uses 2,4-D?

The pesticide is used primarily by cereal crop producers. The forestry industry uses 2,4-D to suppress the growth of hardwoods and undergrowth in conifer plantations. Another application of 2,4-D occurs along major rights-of-ways (i.e. railway tracks) to control brush. In urban areas 2,4-D is applied to control broad leafed weeds such as dandelions, ragweed, and poison ivy[17]. It is the active ingredient in readily available weed control mixtures, for example, killex.

Conclusions

The federal government is currently completing a final review of toxicological data for the pesticide 2,4-D. It states that there is contradictor information regarding the compounds carcinogenicity. This argument fails to realize that there has been cancer linked to this compound and the risk does exist. Is a lawn free of weeds worth the putting your dog, your child, your spouse or other loved one at an increased cancer risk?

References

[1] Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data. 1996. Where in the world and the environment are we: A one day status report and briefing on the reregistration of 2,4-D. Seminar sponsored by the Northwest Food & Forest Education Foundation. Portland, OR, July 31.

[2] Hess, F.D. 1993. Herbicide effects on plant structure, physiology and biochemistry. In Pesticide interactions in crop production: Beneficial and deleterious effects, ed. Altman, J. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

[3] Littorin, M “Dioxins in Blood from Swedish Phenoxy Herbicide Workers.” In Lancet Vol.344 (8922), August 27,19994 pp.611-612.

[4] Zychlinkski, L. and S. Zolnierowicz. 1990. Comparison of uncoupling activities of chlorophenoxy herbicides in rat liver mitochondria. Toxicol. Lett. 52:25-34.

[5] Palmeira, C.M, A.J Moreno and V.M.C. Madeira. 1994. Interactions of herbicides 2,4-D and dinoseb with liver mitochondrial bioenergetics. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 127:50-57.

[6] Littorin, M “Dioxins in Blood from Swedish Phenoxy Herbicide Workers.” In Lancet Vol.344 (8922), August 27,19994 pp.611-612.

[7] Gopher://ecosys.drdr.VirtualLibrary/gen/ toxins/2%2C4-D

[8] Kogevinas, M. “ Soft Tissue Sarcoma and non-Hodgkins Lymponmain Workers exposed to phenoxy-herbicides, chlorophenols, and dioxins – 2 nested case studies.” In Epidemiology. Vol.6 (4) July, 1995. Pp.396-402

[9] Environment Canada Fact Sheet, “Pesticides :2,4-D, MCPA, Dichlorprop, Mecoprop”

[10] Kogevinas, M. “ Soft Tissue Sarcoma and non-Hodgkins Lymponmain Workers exposed to phenoxy-herbicides, chlorophenols, and dioxins – 2 nested case studies.” In Epidemiology. Vol.6 (4) July, 1995. Pp.396-402

[11] Associate committee on Scientific Criteria for Environmental Quality; Subcommittee on Pesticides and Industrial Organic Chemicals. “2,4-D Some Current Issues” NRCC No. 20647. National Research Council of Canada, 1983. Pp. 29,55.

[12] Morrison, H. et al. 1993.Farming and Prostate Cancer Mortality. American Journal of Epidemology 137(30):270-280

[13] Environment Canada Fact Sheet, “Pesticides :2,4-D, MCPA, Dichlorprop, Mecoprop”

[14] Nishioka, M.G. et al. 1999. Distribution of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid in floor dust throughout homes following homeowner and commercial lawn applications: Quantitative effects of children, pets and shoes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 33:1359-1365.

[15] Cheah, U-B, R.C. Kirkwood, and K-Y. Lum. 1997. Adsorption, desorption and mobility of four commonly used pesticides in Malaysian agricultural soils. Pesticide Science 50:53-63.

[16] Gopher://ecosys.drdr.VirtualLibrary/gen/ toxins/2%2C4-D

[17] Interdepartmental Executive Committee on Pest Management. “2,4-D Re-evaluation Update and Label Improvement Program.” Note to CAPCO C94-08. November 23, 1994.

Carbon-Free Nuclear-Free Earth Day Intro

Jailing Aboriginal Leaders to Promote Uranium Mining in Ontario

Tuesday February 19, 2008 12:57 PM
News release from Ardoch Algonquin First Nation
In a travesty of justice, AAFN Spokesperson Robert Lovelace was sentenced in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Kingston to 6 months incarceration and crippling fines amounting to $50,000 for upholding Algonquin law within our homeland. An additional sanction of $2,000 per day will be imposed for every day that Bob continues to obey our law rather than the court order. In addition, our community was fined $10,000 and Chief Paula Sherman $15,000, and our statement of defence was struck out, which means that we are forbidden from challenging the constitutional validity of Ontario's Mining Act. The court made it clear that First Nations' laws do not exist in Canada's legal system and anyone who tries to follow First Nations law will be severely punished.
Shouts of "shame!" erupted in the courtroom as the sentences were read by the judge and Robert was taken into custody. Many were aghast at the harshness of the sentencing imposed for participation in a peaceful protest against uranium exploration which was approved by the province of Ontario without any consultation with our community.
Chief Paula Sherman said: "No consideration was given to the circumstances that led to our actions. The testimony given under oath by Robert Lovelace outlined Algonquin Law and the corresponding responsibilities of Algonquin people with respect to human activity in our territory. It was tossed aside by the judge and deemed to be of no relevance. The message delivered clearly through this court decision is one of domination and oppression; the law will enforce one set of values with respect to human relationships with the land in Ontario and there is no room for Algonquin laws or values."
Ontario and Canada portray themselves as shining examples of democracy and human rights for the world to emulate, all the while creating laws, policies, and value systems that oppress and deny Aboriginal peoples' human right to life as distinct people. Robert testified that Algonquin identity is tied to the relationships that we maintain with the land.
Lovelace is now in jail in Quinte Correctional facility in Napanee. Chief Sherman said: "He is a political prisoner of the Government of Ontario and Ardoch Algonquin First Nation places blame for his incarceration on Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Michael Bryant. We have repeatedly asked for consultations on the mineral claims on our lands within the larger Algonquin homeland. We have offered Ontario a variety of options to enable consultation. Every option was rejected out of hand. Ontario's position has been consistent: Drilling on our land must occur. Our position has equally been consistent: Meaningful consultation must occur before any of our land is damaged or alienated to mining companies."
For more information, contact: Chief Paula Sherman (613) 329-3706 or Chris Reid (lawyer) (416) 629-3117

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Percy Schmeiser

Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian canola farmer who has been sued by agricultural chemical and biotech giant Monsanto after some of Monsanto's genetically engineered Roundup Ready canola genes drifted onto his property from neighboring farms and contaminated his crop.
Mr. Schmeiser, who is now 70 years old, has traveled the world speaking to a wide variety of audiences about his experience.
Mr. Schmeiser received the Mahatma Gandhi award in October, 2000.
Percy Schmeiser speaking at the University of Texas at Austin - October 10, 2001:
I've been farming for 53 years, and 50 years of those I spent in developing a natural breeding of canola. I was known in Western Canada as a seed saver and a seed developer. Besides being a farmer, I've also spent 25 years in public life. I was a member of Parliament and I was also mayor of my community for that length of time. In those years of public life, I was on every agricultural committee you can imagine, both federally and provincially. I've always fought for farmers’ rights and farmers’ privileges, and regulations and laws that would benefit them.
Text on screen:
Rodney Nelson, along with his father and brothers, grows soybeans on their North Dakota farm. His family is also being sued by Monsanto, who accused them of saving and replanting their patented Roundup ready soybeans, a charge Mr. Nelson adamantly denies.
Rodney Nelson (seen speaking from his fields in a tractor - note: taped for this event):
Our family comes from a long line of share renters. Our farm has grown quite dramatically in size over the years because we have always been honest and fair with people. And I believe our landlords realize this. And that's why they come to us to rent us a farm. It has been heart wrenching for us to watch our reputations be destroyed in our own community over something we did not do. My family has been enduring a living hell since this began. I am sure this is what led to my father's recent heart attack a few weeks back. He has been physically and emotionally shattered since this began, as our whole family has been. more @ http://www.mindfully.org/GE/GE4/Heartbreak-In-The-Heartland21jul02.htm

Activists demand a National Water Policy in over 40 communities across the country on World Water Day

On World Water Day, March 22, over 40 communities across Canada will be joining the Council of Canadians' call for a national water policy. The organization and its supporters are demanding federal legislation to address the rising threats of bulk water exports to the United States, the privatization of water services and increasing levels of water contamination in Canada.

The Council of Canadians is working with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Oxfam Canada and the Polaris Institute to raise awareness on the water crisis in Canada.

Who:

Susan Howatt is the national water campaigner at the Council of Canadians. She has spoken in communities across the country on Canada's water crisis and the need for a national water policy.

The Council of Canadians is Canada's largest citizens' advocacy organization with 76 chapters across Canada.

Please contact us to get in touch with someone from your community.

When:

March 18 -22

Where:

Communities across the country. Find World Water Day events in your community at: www.canadians.org/WorldWaterDay/events.html

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For more information, please contact:
Meera Karunananthan Media Officer: Tel.: (613) 233-4487, ext. 234; Cell: (613) 795-8685; meera@canadians.org; www.righttowater.ca.

No Uranium Mine ! Shabot Obaajiwan will not back down !

By Helen Forsey

The story behind the draconian February 15th sentencing of a First Nation leader began in the spring of 2007 when the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwan Algonquin communities found out that their land was threatened by a proposed uranium mine. The Ontario government had given a permit to "Frontenac Ventures" corporation to drill for uranium on a 30,000 acre tract of wilderness in northern Frontenac County, 100 kms upstream from Ottawa. Some of the land staked is private property, but most is unceded Algonquin territory, claimed as "Crown land" by the provincial government.

Like the whole of the Ottawa River watershed, this "Frontenac Tract" is traditional Algonquin territory. It has never been ceded to the Crown, and since the early 1990s it has been the subject of Comprehensive Land Claim negotiations with Ontario and Canada. By issuing exploration permits on this disputed land, Ontario has made a mockery of its own negotiations and ignored Supreme Court rulings that require meaningful consultation with First Nations before allowing development in their territories.

Frontenac Ventures took advantage of this government travesty. In the spring of 2007 it set up a uranium exploration camp at Robertsville, 90 kms north of Kingston, and prepared to drill. Meanwhile, concern was building among local residents over the dangers uranium poses to human health and the environment. Meetings took place between Algonquins and their "settler" neighbours, research was done, letters written, questions raised. But as more alarming facts emerged about the risks of exploring and mining this radioactive mineral, it became clear that the company was going ahead regardless.

At the end of June, the Ardoch Algonquins and Shabot Obaadjiwan peacefully occupied the site at Robertsville, the only feasible entry point for the 30,000-acre tract. They were supported by hundreds of non-Algonquins from the local area and beyond, who brought food and supplies, raised money, and organized a communications and quick response network. The comprehensive website (http://www.ccamu.ca/) and email newsletter, "Uranium News" are the work of the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium.

From the start, the entire protest was determinedly non-violent. Mindful of the lessons from Ipperwash, the Ontario Provincial Police helped maintain good communications and prevent crises. The Algonquins, working from an office in a donated trailer behind the gate, continued to press the government for consultation. Frustrated, Frontenac Ventures launched a $77-million lawsuit against the protesters and got an interim injunction ordering everyone away from the Site.

In response, settler support mushroomed, and an entire tent village went up outside the gate. The Algonquins insisted they would only leave if true consultation began, with a guarantee of no drilling for the duration of the process. Apparently outraged by their stubborn determination, Judge Cunningham of the Ontario Superior Court issued a follow-up "interlocutory" injunction on September 27th, and charged the protesters with contempt of court for defying the earlier order. With evidence implicating at least 50 people, both settlers and Algonquins, lawyers negotiated the number down to eight, among them the five First Nations leaders who bravely volunteered to take the rap for everyone

Finally in October the government agreed to mediated talks, and the Algonquins moved their peaceful protest out from behind the gate to the road allowance nearby. As the cold set in, the protesters maintained a watchful presence in the relocated trailer and a cabin they built in three days. Donna Dillman's hunger strike was based there until she took it to Toronto at the end of November. Frontenac Ventures came and went, doing "non-intrusive" preparatory work under the terms of the mediation.

But tensions began to mount soon after New Years, as the end of the twelve-week mediation period approached. An innovative Algonquin proposal for a consultation "pilot project" was on the table when the Ontario government pulled the rug out from under the whole thing by insisting that drilling must go ahead no matter what. Ardoch and Shabot rejected that condition and resumed their non-violent protest. That was how things stood on February 12th when the trials on the contempt charges began, leading to the rigid conditions, massive fines and jail time imposed by Judge Cunningham.



Duty to consult information

Shabot people need your help!!!
Click here to help

Air Pollution

Air pollution is still a major concern, particularly with wood boilers. A 2006 report from the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, a nonprofit association of Northeast air quality agencies, found that average particulate emissions from one outdoor wood boiler equaled that of 22 wood stoves, 205 oil furnaces or as many as 8,000 natural gas furnaces.

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The Myth of Endless Growth

'We cannot grow forever on a finite planet. If we continue to assume that endless growth and consumption is possible, and disregard the biosphere’s capacity to meet our greed, and if we continue to neglect social justice and fair and sustainable wealth distribution, we will reap a bitter harvest.'

Forest protection: Local and global

VIEWPOINT Frederick Sagisolo

Local communities living in the world's dwindling tropical forests bear the brunt of the insatiable demand for cheap timber, argues Frederick Sagisolo. In the Green Room, he recounts his experience of illegal logging, and explains why community forest management is the way forward.
Forests provide for most of the needs of the KnasaimosFor the Knasaimos people, living in the Indonesian province of Papua, we do not see nature as something to be destroyed.
The forests here provide for our needs. For building houses we take rattan, bamboo and other woods, for lighting fires we take damar, and for food we process sago taken from the forest in the traditional method.
The forests give us wood for fishing boats, gaharu trees for trade, and many fruits which we can sell.
The relationship between our people and their nature is important, and it's become our pride and part of our traditional wisdom. That's why we manage the land in a simple way.
The way we manage our land, however, has been disturbed by outsiders coming here to log trees.

It started in 1999 with meranti wood being taken, and once that was finished in 2002 they started to cut merbau trees.
This created problems for our community. Before, there was a sense of working together, a feeling of togetherness.
Then, when some people are attracted to the wood company they refuse to work on the sago any more. They think that because the company promises money, they don't want to do the traditional work in the forest any more.
New values appear, like wanting to have more than your neighbour and putting a price on everything, instead of valuing what we already have.
Rich wood
The merbau logging was carried out by one company, supported by foreign investors.

Companies from outside only think about money and leave us with tears
We never invited this company here and it did not have proper permission to log.
I am the head of the tribal council, but the company never talked to me. Instead it did an illegal deal with one individual from our community, and this created many problems for us.
But the company was backed by a local military officer, so what could we do?
Soon after it first arrived the company was cutting our trees in four areas, destroying the land with heavy equipment. Yet when people here see the military person involved, then cannot sit down together and discuss things. Impossible.
I was really worried by this company. Our land is not that large, and with the logging after a few years we would have had no trees left, only grass.
This would mean disaster for us. It is our mission to treat the land as something entrusted to us for our grandchildren and so we must not destroy it.
Self-determination
If we are left alone we manage the forest well as it is part of our life.
But companies from outside only think about money and leave us with tears. While the company was here there was no improvement for local people - just problems.
We plan to develop a system where we, the Knasaimos, as the guardians of this land, manage it ourselves and gain benefits to help the lives of our people
We know our rights, but got no help from the local government. They just came here with a map we had never seen before - some kind of imaginary map.
Under this some of our sacred places would be destroyed. We asked "why did you do this?" and the company said it was allowed because of the map.
We know that this map was illegal and it is clear that money talked. We asked the government to stop this company, but nothing happened.
Then finally, in 2005, Papua was the target for a big action by the government against illegal logging. The military officer left, and the company operations stopped.
We felt we were once more in control of our lands and set about healing the wounds created by the company.
Community awareness
In early 2007 I was contacted by people from two environment groups, Telapak and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

Frederick shares his community's story with officials in Brussels
These groups had come to Seremuk in 2003 and filmed our way of life and the problems we were having with the logging company.
These people explained to me that they were organising a meeting in Belgium to tell European Union officials about the bad impacts of illegal logging and wanted me to speak. I agreed, believing this could benefit our community.
I came across so many interesting stories on the trip.
I found out how timber stolen from Seremuk and other "remote" areas eventually goes to places like Europe and is worth a lot of money. It seemed strange to me that the people who live in the forests are still poor, while the timber taken from them is worth so much when it is sold in Europe.
On the trip, I saw how in Europe NGOs work together with their governments, while in Indonesia they are seen as the enemy of the government.
This made us realise how the Knasaimos people have to develop strong institutions to press the government to have a more open mind, and allow us to manage our land free of interference.

Frederick's story
(Courtesy of Handcrafted Films and the UK's Department for International Development)
Now, in Seremuk, I'm working to use the lessons of the trip to help improve the situation for the Knasaimos.
At a recent big gathering of our people it was agreed that no member of our community would sell trees to outsiders.
Instead we plan to develop a system where we, the Knasaimos, as the guardians of this land, manage it ourselves and gain benefits to help the lives of our people through better education and health.
We have suffered from illegal logging and now we want to build a co-operative to carry out small-scale community logging.
This is our vision as to how we can live together with nature and improve the lives of our people.
Frederick Sagisolo is traditional chief of the Knasaimos people living in the western region of Papua, Indonesia
The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website
Do you agree with Frederick Sagisolo? Is community involvement the key to managing natural resources such as forests? Do western governments and western consumers have a role to play in helping peoples such as the Knasaimos?