The DISH
Unbossed and unbought news and
information you can use
Vol. 9 No. 1…Dedicated to the Dialogue on
Race…January 6, 2006
Happy
New Year!
By
Dot
Members of the staff,
friends and contributors to The DISH would like to wish our
readers, their friends and families a happy and healthy new year. We would also like to take this
opportunity to thank you for your comments, suggestions and constructive
criticism, which have served to make The DISH a better
product. While it remains a work in
progress, much of the improvement over the past eight years has come as a
result of reader insight and willingness to share ideas and information. And, for these things and all that you
do, we remain eternally grateful.
As we begin our ninth year
of publication of the only international e-zine “dedicated to the
dialogue on race,” it is our fervent hope that we can continue to provide
news and information you can use.
In keeping with that mission, it is fitting that our first 2006
newsletter center around a variety of issues that may pose human health risks.
Again, that you and happy
New Year!
James
Parkinson (1755-1824)
The son of John Parkinson,
an apothecary and surgeon in Hoxton Square, James Parkinson was born on April 11,
1755 in Shoreditch, London.
Parkinson studied at the London Hospital Medical College before
apprenticing with his father. After
his father’s death, Parkinson assumed the practice (1784), which cared
for the parish’s poor and patients at a local private asylum for the
mentally ill.
Keenly interested in the
general welfare, Parkinson opposed King George III’s war and tax
policies, which resulted in a declining standard of living. Under his pen-name Old Hubert, Parkinson
published pamphlets on a range of reform subjects from universal suffrage and
popular representation in the House of Commons to unfairness of taxes and
wages, unfair imprisonment, poor prison conditions, education for the poor, and
care for the elderly and disabled.
A member of the London
Corresponding Society for Reform of Parliamentary Representation and the
Society of Constitutional Information, Parkinson played an important role in
investigations into the “Popgun Plot,” an alleged conspiracy to
kill King George III by firing a poisoned dart from a theater pit. In 1794, five society members were
arrested and charged with complicity in the alleged plot. Parkinson was a witness for the defense
during the Privy Council investigations and a subsequent trial. All the accused were eventually freed.
Parkinson wrote extensively
on medical and other subjects including, the effect of lightning, the
distinction between disorders of memory, dysphasia and true madness, texts to
encourage parish fever wards, a report on appendicitis- the first found in
English medical literature to recognize perforation (peritonitis) as the cause
of death, mental illness and reform in laws regulating mad houses, gout,
educating medical students and apothecaries. Parkinson’s most important medical
work, An Essay on the Shaking Palsy (1817) provided a description of
what Jean-Martin Charcot later termed Parkinson’s disease.
Recognized as founder of
scientific paleontology, he studied fossils and wrote several books and
geological papers. On November 13,
1797, Parkinson and several of his friends formed the Geological Society of
London. Parkinson served as
President of the Association of Apothecaries for two years and was involved in
many medical associations. In 1822,
Parkinson became the first recipient of the Honorary Gold medal of the Royal
College of Surgeons.
Parkinson married Mary Dale
(1781), and the couple had 6 children.
He died on December 21, 1824.
(Sources: and )
Parkinson’s
and Pesticides
First described as “shaking palsy” by James Parkinson, this disease is characterized by general body rigidity and tremor. Affected persons exhibit an unsteady gait, and their faces have a mask-like appearance. The voice is slow and monotonous and their hands tremor; there is a constant nodding movement of the head. The disease is due to degeneration of the spinal cord and basal ganglia. Its course may extend over many years with occasional periods of improvement. Eventually death occurs after increasing paralysis and final coma.
While there is no known
cure, scientists “have amassed evidence that long-term exposure to toxic
compounds, especially pesticides, can trigger the neurological
disease.” According to
“Hot on Parkinson’s Trail” (Los Angeles Times, November 27,
2005), “Scientists have conducted hundreds of animal experiments, at
least 40 studies of human patients, and three of human brain tissue. They have found ‘a relatively
consistent relationship between pesticide exposure and
Parkinson’s.’”
According to official
estimates, more than a billion pounds of herbicides, insecticides and other
pest-killing chemicals are used on U.S. farms, gardens and in households
annually. Nearly all adults and
children tested have traces of multiple pesticides in their bodies. Scientists have discovered that
“compounds with little in common, such as fungicide and insecticide,
apparently can team up to administer a one-two punch, decimating brain
cells.”
“Hot on
Parkinson’s Trail” should be required reading for everyone. It highlights a problem we can ill
afford to ignore.
Environmental activists have begun an e-mail campaign, which targets
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Steve Johnson. Campaign participants are urging Johnson
to have federal scientists look at real life scenarios of exposures for
everyone-- especially farm workers and farmers-- which include exposure to
multiple chemicals that can produce cumulative impacts on the body and
environment, rather than continue to pursue the current practice of evaluating
each chemical in isolation.
To e-mail EPA today and
demand realistic testing, go to .
Depleted
Uranium Moratorium
Increasingly, news stories about depleted uranium (DU) can be found online and in print. Recent articles addressed the Baghdad boils being blamed on the bites of sand flies, the growing cancer concerns among US military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, increasing rate of birth defects among Iraqi children and scientists sounding the alarm over the consequences of exposure to DU. A number of news stories speculated that former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi resigned because he understood the scandal brewing over the US’ use of depleted uranium.
While the US is a signatory
to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it used weapons hardened with
depleted uranium during the 1991 Gulf War and more recently in Afghanistan and
Iraq. Many members of the
scientific community link the Gulf War Syndrome to DU exposure. Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq display
symptoms similar to those exhibited by Gulf War veterans. Despite the mounting evidence of the DU
role in making veterans sick, the US military appears posed to continue
deploying depleted uranium munitions, while hiding the unintended consequences
of DU exposure.
In November 2005, the
European Parliament issued for a third time a call for a moratorium on the use
of these munitions. The resolution
called for the moratorium in recognition of the fact that all European Union
(EU) member countries are signatories of the major multilateral
non-proliferation agreements. It is
generally recognized that depleted uranium is a weapon of mass destruction.
The European
moratorium could lead to a total ban on depleted uranium munitions in member
states, including US tactical weapons stationed in European nations, such as
Germany and Turkey. Perhaps, such
as ban might force the US to cease using DU weapons that kill its own soldiers.
Disgruntled says: Speculation is rife that the US and
Israel are posed to strike Iran to cripple its ability to develop nuclear
weapons or sell its oil in any currency other than US dollars; Iran’s oil
is a matter of US national security.
The planned Iranian incursion follows the road map used to topple
Iraq. Israel will strike
Iran’s nuclear installations, and the US will use its power and influence
to compel the United Nations to institute a regime of economic and political
sanctions to weaken the country. If
Iran does not follow the program, then Israel, which does not have to obey any
international law, and the US, which can veto whatever it does not like, can
bomb Iran back to the Stone Age.
Disgruntled wants to know: Some of the best legal minds in the
United States that have read the law and teaches it at flagship universities to
future lawyers say George Bush broke the law in ordering warrantless wiretaps
on US citizens. Given conservatives
that revere the rule of law controlled Congress, we should see a bill of
particulars impeaching Bush in 2006.
Or, will these “honorable” men be too busy trying to escape
Abramoff’s singing to punish Bush’s eavesdropping?
Disgruntled feels: Bought! A number of authors have written
extensively about the role of money in influencing decision-making in the
USA. Our representatives are downright
shameless in the pursuit of personal wealth. Nothing is sacred. For example, in a sop to big pharma and
his family’s fortunes, which are tied to the medical industry, that sneak
Sen. Bill Frist inserted a legal shield for vaccine makers in the defense
appropriations bill.
Seeds
of Deception (Excerpts)
By
Jeffrey M. Smith
The biotech industry claims
that the FDA has thoroughly evaluated genetically modified (GM) foods and found
them safe. This is untrue. Internal FDA documents reveal that
agency scientists warned that GM foods might create toxins, allergies,
nutritional problems, and new diseases.
Scientists urged their
superiors to require long-term tests on each GM variety prior to approval;
political appointees at FDA, including a former Monsanto attorney, ignored
them. Official policy claims GM
foods do NOT require safety testing.
A manufacturer can introduce a GM food without informing the government
or consumers.
A 2001 report from the
Royal Society of Canada said it was “ scientifically unjustifiable”
to presume that GM foods are safe.
Likewise, a 2002 report by the UK’s Royal Society said that
genetic modification “could lead to unpredicted harmful changes in the
nutritional state of foods,” and recommended that potential health
effects of GM foods be rigorously researched before being fed to pregnant or
breast-feeding women, elderly people, those suffering from chronic disease, and
babies.
How could the government
approve dangerous foods? Industry
manipulation and political collusion– not sound science--were the driving
forces. When a top scientist tried
to alert the public about his alarming discoveries, he lost his job and was
silenced with threats of a lawsuit.
Government employees who complained were harassed, stripped of
responsibilities, or fired.
Evidence was stolen. Data
was omitted or distorted. Some regulators
even claimed they were offered bribes to approve a GM product.
Industry studies appear
rigged to find no problems. In the
case of a genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH), researchers
injected cows with only one forty-seventh the normal dosage before reporting
hormone residues in milk. They
heated the milk 120 times longer than standard, to report that pasteurization
destroys the hormone. They added
cows to their study that were pregnant before treatment, to claim that rbGH
didn’t impede fertility. Cows
that fell sick were dropped from studies altogether.
One of the most dangerous
aspects of genetic engineering is the closed thinking and consistent effort to
silence those with contrary evidence or concerns. Before stepping down from office, former
Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman admitted the following: “What I saw
generically on the pro-biotech side was the attitude that the technology was
good, and that it was almost immoral to say that it wasn’t good, because
it was going to solve the problems of the human race and feed the hungry and
clothe the naked...And, there was a lot of money that had been invested in
this, and if you’re against it, you’re Luddites, you’re
stupid. That, frankly, was the side
our government was on...You felt like you were almost an alien, disloyal, by
trying to present an open-minded view.”
Read the actual internal memos by FDA scientists, warning of toxins, allergies, and new diseases. Discover how industry studies are designed to avoid finding problems. Learn why the FDA withheld information from Congress after a genetically modified supplement killed nearly a hundred people and disabled thousands. Eating such experimental food is gambling with your health. Find out how you can protect yourself and your family.
About Me: Jeffrey M. Smith is the author of the
international best-seller Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and
Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods
You’re Eating. He is also
the producer of the video, Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals and author of
the nationally syndicated monthly column, Spilling the Beans. For more about Smith and his work, visit
.
For years, international
human rights groups and indigenous people in India have been protesting against
Coca-Cola Company practices. Since
March 2004, Coca-Cola’s bottling plant in Kerala, one of its largest in
India, remains shut down; the local community refuses to allow it to continue
operations. The company has been
accused of creating severe water shortages and groundwater pollution.
Area residents rely on
agriculture for their livelihood.
Pollution and water shortages create hardships for poor
communities. Protestors demand that
the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj also cease operations, compensate affected
farmers, conduct criminal investigations into the company’s illegal land
acquisition and ban Coca-Cola and Pepsico products, which have been confirmed
to contain high levels of pesticides in the Indian market.
Community members and supporters
have also accused Coca-Cola of violence and filing false criminal charges
against community leaders.
Atlanta-based Coca-Cola has denied all allegations. For more information about Coca-Cola and
the Indian movement, visit .
In June 2005, the
University of Michigan’s Dispute Review Board (DRB) recommended that the
Coca-Cola Company be placed on probation.
Convened nearly a year earlier to address students’ concerns, the
DRB set benchmarks that Coke would have to meet to show it was acting in good
faith to resolve the problems in India and Colombia. Those problems include draining local
groundwater in India and conspiring with paramilitary groups in Colombia to
harass and harm union members.
DRB benchmarks included
Coke agreeing to an independent, third party investigation into issues in India
and Colombia. Activists accused
Coca-Cola of using public relations maneuvers, rather than make real changes to
deal with the issues.
In a letter to Coke dated
December 29, University of Michigan officials announced that Coke had failed to
agree to a protocol for an investigation into issues in India and
Colombia. Beginning January 1,
2006, the University temporarily stopped buying Coke products, which are sold
in vending machines, residence halls, cafeterias and restaurants at the
university’s three campuses.
In suspending Coke’s contracts, which are worth about $1.4
million, the University of Michigan joined other universities and colleges in
the US and worldwide in condemning the Coca-Cola Company.
E-mail http://www.policestateplanning.com Who
is killing the great microbiologists of Europe? Well, not just Europe, but a lot of
eminent microbiologists and medical researchers have met untimely, if not
bizarre, ends over the past few years, at the rate of about 1.2 per month. The most popularized one was the death
of British scientist David Kelly, but there have been more, about 78 more
top-level microbiologists meeting an untimely demise since 1994, beating
mathematical odds of about 14 billion-to-one against. At http://www.policestateplanning.com,
read the article that explores the who, why and how of preparing an
unsuspecting populace for a population culling pandemic.
E-mail , Irina Ermakova, a leading
scientist at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of
the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), added GM soy flour (5-7 grams) to the
diet of female rats. Other females
were fed non-GM soy or no soy. The
experimental diet began two weeks before the rats conceived and continued
through pregnancy and nursing.
Within three weeks of birth, 25 of the 45 (55.6%) newborn rats from the
GM soy group died compared to only 3 of 33 (9%) from the non-GM soy group and 3
of 44 (6.8%) from the non-soy controls.
The soy tested was Monsanto’s Roundup Ready variety. Its DNA has bacterial genes added that
allow the soy plant to survive applications of Monsanto’s
“Roundup” brand herbicide.
Ermakova’s findings are hardly welcome by an industry steeped in
controversy.
E-mail Milk proteins are rocket
fuel for existing cancers. There
are hundreds of millions of different proteins in nature, and only one hormone
that is identical between two species.
That powerful growth hormone is insulin-like growth factor, or
IGF-1. When consumed in cow’s
milk and other diary products, IGF-1 survives digestion. IGF-1 has been identified as a key
factor in the growth of every cancer.
Milk from rbGH-treated cows contains an increased amount of the hormones
IGF_1, which is one of the highest risk factors associated with breast and
prostate cancer, among others.
|| 2005 Issues || The DISH
||