Prism Webcast News 2nd Week of May 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Posted in Environment Genetic Engineering Human Rights PRISM NEWS PODCASTS Sustainability | Tagged Environment, Genetic Engineering, Human Rights, PRISM NEWS PODCASTS, Sustainability
News - Save Happy Valley, GE Free NZ and Water Wars - Thirst [38:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThis week in Prism News:
- Save Happy Valley Coalition protestors appear in court. Interview with spokesperson Graham Jury.
- In America a Federal judge ordered the first-ever halt to the planting of a commercialized genetically-engineered crop.
- New research on the possible effects of pesticides on children’s intellectual development has been released.
- GE Free NZ highlights a Report on the Risks to New Zealand’s Insects and Soils from GE BT crops. Interview with Claire Bleakly.
- In the American House of Representatives a Bill to Ban Patents on Human Genes was introduced and a law Banning Genetic Discrimination was passed.
- In our major interview for the week I talk to Alan Snitow & Deborah Kaufman who have recently put out a book called “Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water”
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PROTESTORS IN COURT
Two Save Happy Valley activists appeared in the Christchurch District Court in early May and plead not guilty to “interference with a rail line”. While another was charged with “communicating with a prisoner” because she passed a bottle of water to the two protestors. These events occurred while blockading a railway line to protest the coal mining activities of Solid Energy on the west coast of the South Island.
Further information at:
The cost of coal on the environment
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Judge Breyer Orders Complete Environmental Review of Monsanto’s Gene-Altered Alfalfa
A Federal judge today made a final ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) 2005 approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) “Roundup Ready” alfalfa was illegal. The Judge called on USDA to ban any further planting of the GE seed until it conducts a complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the GE crop.
Further information at:
Federal Judge Orders First-Ever Halt To Planting Of A Commercialized Genetically-Altered Crop
GMO Alfalfa Will Devastate Organic Dairy Industry
Why spring babies could do worse at school
According to research by Dr. Paul Winchester a professor of clinical paediatrics, at the Indiana University School of Medicine and colleagues the time of year in which a child is conceived influences their future academic achievement.
“Exposure to pesticides and nitrates can alter the hormonal milieu of the pregnant mother and the developing fetal brain,” “While our findings do not represent absolute proof that pesticides and nitrates contribute to lower Educational Progress scores, they strongly support such a hypothesis.” said Dr. Winchester.
Further information at:
Does the time of year in which a child is conceived influence future academic achievement?
Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to U.S. Premature Births
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Report Reveals Risks to New Zealand’s Insects and Soils
A published review of international scientific studies on Plants containing “Bt” toxins shows the possibility that GE BT crops in NZ could severely damage beneficial native insect populations. The report by Hillbeck and Schmidt examines the published literature on Bt toxins - widely incorporated as a feature of GM plants- in scores of laboratory feeding studies.
Further information at:
Report Reveals Risks to New Zealand’s Insects and Soils
Interview on ERMA GE Brassica Hearing in Christchurch
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House of Representatives Passes Ban on Genetic Discrimination
In a vote of 420-3, the US House of Representatives passed the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (GINA) last week. The measure would prohibit health insurers from using genetic information to deny coverage or charge higher premiums to a healthy person, and employers from considering genetic information in hiring, firing, or promotion decisions.
Federal Bill to Ban Patents on Human Genes Introduced
The “Genomic Research and Accessibility Act,” introduced by Representatives Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Dave Weldon (R-FL), would prohibit future patents on human genes, a practice that has given “private corporations, universities, and even the federal government…a monopoly on significant sections of the human genome.” The introduction to the bill notes that 20% of the approximately 35,000 known genes in the human body have been patented, and describes gene patenting as “a regulatory mistake.”
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MAIN INTERVIEW
Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water
I spoke with two of the authors of the book THIRST Alan Snitow & Deborah Kaufman. The book details eight recent high-profile controversies over the corporate takeover of water in the United States, and shows how citizens are fighting back in American communities. The book deals with political corruption, high stakes financial takeovers, and behind the scenes manoeuvring by some of the richest corporations.
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