renewables, air pol'n and traffic, drugs in water, nukes

Tue Mar 11 16:23:56 EDT 2008

Are Renewables Approaching a Tipping Point?

Investing in renewable energy is no longer just about "doing the right
thing" and being green. It's also about making green—and global investment
trends reflect this thinking. Read a summary of the market trends,
national policies, and other factors propelling renewables into the
mainstream.

Read:	<http://www.elabs5.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=lizj,p0f,db,1yy4,1z9u,cdbq,7xpq>"Are
Renewables Approaching a Tipping Point?"
<http://www.elabs5.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=lizj,p0f,db,awmn,l228,cdbq,7xpq>Renewables
2007 Global Status Report, Executive Summary (free pdf)

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Childhood leukemia development and correlation with traffic air pollution
in Taiwan using nitrogen dioxide as an air pollutant marker

The results showed that there was a significant exposure-response
relationship between exposure to traffic exhaust pollutants and the risk
of leukemia among young children after controlling for possible
confounders. The findings of this study warrant further investigation of
the role of traffic air pollution in the etiology of childhood leukemia.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18306090?dopt=AbstractPlus>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18306090?dopt=AbstractPlus

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Associated Press    March 11, 2008

Drugs in Water Hurt Fish and Wildlife

By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD

A five-month Associated Press investigation has determined that trace
amounts of many of the pharmaceuticals we take to stay healthy are seeping
into drinking water supplies, and a growing body of research indicates
that this could harm humans.

But people aren't the only ones who consume that water. There is more and
more evidence that some animals that live in or drink from streams and
lakes are seriously affected.

Pharmaceuticals in the water are being blamed for severe reproductive
problems in many types of fish: The endangered razorback sucker and male
fathead minnow have been found with lower sperm counts and damaged sperm;
some walleyes and male carp have become what are called feminized fish,
producing egg yolk proteins typically made only by females.

Meanwhile, female fish have developed male genital organs. Also, there are
skewed sex ratios in some aquatic populations, and sexually abnormal bass
that produce cells for both sperm and eggs.

There are problems with other wildlife as well: kidney failure in
vultures, impaired reproduction in mussels, inhibited growth in algae.
<snip>

Full article here:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfFmv5O8WO4WPvcC6cq_KykMilMgD8VAMMLO0

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AP probe finds drugs in drinking water
By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writers
Sun Mar 9, 2008

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080309/ap_on_re_us/pharmawater_i

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Say no to drug ads, doctor warns
Mar 07, 2008 04:30 Am
CAROL GOAR

Dr. John Abramson came to Toronto this week with a cautionary tale. The
Harvard medical professor was in town to tell Canadians and their courts
what happens when a country opens its airwaves, newspapers and magazines
to pharmaceutical advertising.

The United States did it, to his everlasting regret. <snip>

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice will decide this summer whether to
lift Canada's long-standing ban on such advertising. The case is scheduled
for June 16. <snip>

He cites three principal reasons to avoid the path taken by his country:
The first is patient safety. Information disseminated by the drug
companies is designed to increase corporate profits, not to give consumers
the facts they need to choose the best treatment option. A succession of
heavily promoted drugs – painkillers, anti-psychotics, hormone replacement
medications – has been pulled off the U.S. market because of inadequate
testing or undisclosed risks.

The second is cost. Pharmaceutical spending in America has ballooned since
Washington opened the floodgates to consumer advertising. It's partly
because doctors are prescribing more drugs and partly because patients are
insisting on expensive brand-name medications they've seen on TV.

The third is the distortion of the doctor-patient relationship. People
come into their physician's office with a pre-set idea of the drug they
want. They aren't ready to discuss lifestyle changes. They aren't willing
to entertain the possibility that they don't need a pill for restless leg
syndrome, social anxiety disorder, menopause, baldness or loss of libido.

Full article here:
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/310212

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How do you feel about the renewed push for Nuclear Power?

	A Citizens' Inquiry has been set up to gather information on this
critical issue.

	Two decades ago, nuclear power was abandoned because of its enormous
expense and demonstrable dangers.  Today, sophisticated ads tell us that
it is a safe, green and affordable solution to
climate change.

	What is the truth?

	The Citizens' Inquiry into the Impacts of the Uranium Cycle
http://www.uraniumcitizensinquiry.com  is an opportunity to document what
we are sensing about this issue.  This input will be assembled into an
Internet-accessible reference and written report, which could be used to
defend the land and life.  An open discussion about uranium-based
technology is critically needed before huge amounts of money are
irretrievably committed to technology that could haunt the next thousand
generations.

	What do you think, know, feel about things
nuclear?  The Inquiry is looking for input on any aspect, from land claims
and mineral rights to uranium prospecting, mining, processing and
transportation and on to power generation, waste disposal, nuclear weapons
and medical uses?

	Nuclear issues are arising around the globe.  Wherever you live, your
input is important to the success of the Inquiry.  Submissions need not
be long.  Simple statements or detailed documents all help.  Please
consider making a submission by mail or email. 
info at uraniumcitizensinquiry.com

	If you are in or near Eastern Ontario, consider presenting at one of the
four Public Forums that will focus the effort in April.  (Sharbot Lake,
April 1; Kingston, April 8; Peterborough, April 15; and Ottawa, April
22.)  Registration is required to present at the Forums.  You can
register at:
http://www.uraniumcitizensinquiry.com/registration.htm

	If you are from one of the many other areas on Earth being challenged by
new developments, you might be interested in staging a sister inquiry. 
Materials to start you off are available on request.

	The history of this initiative, participating organizations and other
details are available at
http://www.uraniumcitizensinquiry.com

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Ontario's Energy Minister Gerry Phillips announced today that the
Government of Ontario has decided to give nuclear power companies a
monopoly to supply up to 72% of Ontarioís electricity demand. 

Nuclear power is the highest-cost, least reliable and least energy
efficient electricity supply source.  This decision essentially does an
end run around the government's promise to consider all supply sources
equally in an integrated plan.

Instead of reserving up to 72% of Ontarioís electricity market for nuclear
power, the Government of Ontario should allow all energy options to
compete fairly to meet our base-load electricity needs. 

It doesn't make sense to build new nuclear power plants if we can meet our
electricity needs at a lower cost through energy conservation and demand
management; wind power; biomass power from our farms; natural gas-fired
combined heat and power plants located in our apartment buildings,
recreation centres, hospitals, shopping malls and factories; or water
power imports from Quebec, Labrador or Manitoba.

Please contact Energy Minister Phillips (Phone: 416-327-6758; Fax:
416-327-0033; Email: <mailto:gphillips.mpp at liberal.ola.org>
gphillips.mpp at liberal.ola.org)  and ask him to immediately revoke his
decision to grant nuclear power a monopoly for up to 72% of Ontarioís
electricity market and restore fairness and foresight to energy planning
in Ontario.

Please pass this message on to your friends.

Thank you.

Jack Gibbons
Chair
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
402-625 Church St, Toronto M4Y 2G1
Phone: 416-926-1907 ext. 240
Fax: 416-926-1601
Email: jack at cleanairalliance.org
Website: <http://www.cleanairalliance.org/>www.cleanairalliance.org

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ADHD WISE
Resources & Education on ADD/ADHD Drug Treatments and Drug-Free Alternatives.
http://www.adhdwise.blogspot.com

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Catholic Nuns Discover Massage is Better than Antipsychotics
By LUCETTE LAGNADO
March 10, 2008, Wall Street Journal

BRONX, N.Y. -- Here at the Providence Rest nursing home, which caters
mostly to retired nuns and devout Roman Catholics, Harold Packman has
developed an important expertise: Giving massages to women who may have
spent a lifetime shying away from this kind of physical contact.

...Providence Rest hired Mr. Packman, a licensed massage therapist, as
part of an unusual experiment to cut its use of antipsychotic drugs. These
controversial drugs -- which are often used as "chemical restraints" to
sedate agitated patients -- have set off a national debate over whether
nursing homes are misusing them. Newer versions, known as "atypical"
antipsychotics, can increase the risk of death in elderly people with
Alzheimer's disease, the Food and Drug Administration has warned.

...Startling Results
The results are startling. Nationwide, some 30% of nursing-home patients
are put on antipsychotics, according to federal data, but Providence Rest
has cut its own use down to 2% or 3%. That's the lowest rate of any
nursing home in New York, and among the lowest in the country, according
to the New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging.

<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120510783828623179.html?mod=psp_editors_picks>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120510783828623179.html?mod=psp_editors_picks

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