GOTHAM NEWS

Brazil Weighs Costs and Benefits of Alliance With China

2005-11-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

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By LARRY ROHTER
Published: November 20, 2005
PAQUIÇAMBA, Brazil - Here at the great bend of the mighty Xingu River, the Brazilian government is pushing to construct a dam that could end up being the world's second-largest, generating huge amounts of hydroelectric power. But the main beneficiaries of the project are not likely to be the Indian tribes or other local residents, but instead a government halfway across the world, in China.
To satisfy the appetite of a rapidly growing industrial base, state-owned Chinese companies have begun involving themselves in mining projects in the eastern Amazon, ranging from aluminum and steel to nickel and copper. Processing each of those materials requires large amounts of electricity, and the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, intent on forming what he calls "a strategic alliance" with China, is eager to perform that task.
Meanwhile, the river dwellers whose lives will be disrupted by the dam predict it will cause extensive environmental damage and encourage an influx of poor settlers seeking jobs that will not exist. They also complain that they will not receive the power they have long been demanding of the government and will be forced to move.
"If this thing is built, then Lord help us," said José Carlos Arara, a leader of an Indian settlement perched above the river. "The Chinese are way over there. But we are right here, at the gateway of the dam without water, medical care or electricity, and rather than help us, our government wants to make things worse. If it were up to us, this dam would never be constructed."
Officials in Brasília, however, promise that the project, named Belo Monte after the site where it is to be built, will control the flow of the river so as to minimize its impact on the nine tribal groups that live here. They also say that because Brazil cannot afford not to build the dam, they will pay whatever price is necessary to placate the skeptics here.
"This is an important public works for a country like ours, which needs to take better advantage of its energy potential," Márcio Zimmerman, director of planning and development for the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said in a phone interview. "The north is a region that is in the process of industrialization and development, and hydroelectric power is a long-term source of energy that is cheap and renewable."
In its original form, the Belo Monte project dates to the 1970's, when it was presented as a solution to predicted energy shortages in the southern, industrialized part of Brazil. But environmental, human rights and indigenous groups opposed the plan from the start, in part because of its huge eventual costs, in the billions of dollars. The groups fought it in the courts and in Congress, and by the time the previous government left office in 2002, a court ruling appeared to have shelved Belo Monte for good.
But Mr. da Silva and his leftist Workers' Party came to power promising a battery of social initiatives, including a "Light for Everyone" program meant to bring electricity to poor and remote rural areas like this. Sensing an opportunity, proponents of Belo Monte dusted off the project and persuaded Mr. da Silva to make it a priority.
"There was dereliction in not building hydroelectric projects" in the previous government, Mr. da Silva said recently. "With the projects that are under way, we can permanently guarantee" supplies of energy to consumers "for 5, 6 or even 10 years down the line."
But in partnership with China, Brazil is also committed to large industrial projects in the Amazon that will consume huge amounts of electricity and employ relatively few people. Among them are a pair of large plants that will process bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminum, near Belém, the capital of Pará State in the eastern Amazon.
A Chinese company is planning to build a steel mill in São Luis, at the eastern edge of the Amazon, as part of a venture with a Brazilian company. In a separate project, a Brazilian company is already building another steel mill near Belém to meet the demand that is anticipated from the Chinese and American markets.
The iron ore for those projects comes from Carajas, south of here, which has the world's largest reserves. Copper to supply China and other markets is being extracted from the area, and building a copper smelter nearby is being discussed.
"Everything in the Amazon that is electricity-intensive has a big Chinese component and is getting strong official support, even though the main beneficiary will clearly be China, rather than Brazil," said Mr. Pinto, who wrote the book "Hydroelectric Projects in the Amazon." "Not only are the Chinese going to be investing a minimal amount themselves, but they will also be shifting the resulting pollution problems to the Amazon."
Mr. da Silva's government, mired in a corruption scandal that threatens his chances of being re-elected next year, is so eager to move ahead on the dam that in July it persuaded Congress to authorize the project, ignoring a requirement to confer with communities that would be affected. Opponents are challenging that action in the courts.
"Even though the Brazilian constitution says that we are supposed to be consulted, no one came to talk with us," said Manuel Juruna, the leader of the main community here. "We want them to know that for all of the indigenous peoples of the Xingu, this project can only destroy our traditional way of life by driving away fish, drying up our hunting areas and bringing in its place nothing but hardship and suffering."
In Brazil's industrialized south, little mention has been made of the dam's connection to Mr. da Silva's broader strategy of strengthening economic and political ties with China. That policy is coming under increasing criticism, especially in São Paulo, the nation's business capital, on the grounds that Brazil's national interests are being sacrificed.
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Indignant Castro claims to feel `better than ever'

2005-11-18T17:06:00.000-05:00

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Indignant Castro claims to feel `better than ever'

CUBA
Indignant Castro claims to feel `better than ever'In an hours-long speech at the University of Havana, Fidel Castro defiantly blasted President Bush, derided the CIA's belief that he has Parkinson's and likened himself to El Cid.BY FRANCES ROBLESfrobles@herald.com
Fidel Castro said he would step down if he became too ill to govern but he insisted he feels ''better than ever,'' a day after The Herald reported that the CIA is convinced he suffers from Parkinson's disease.
In an hours-long speech broadcast live on Thursday night on Cuban state television to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his entering the University of Havana, the 79-year-old blasted President Bush and the CIA for the war in Iraq and the use of secret jails to house terror suspects.
''They've said Parkinson's; what do you think of that?'' Castro told the audience of students and academics. ``I don't care if I get Parkinson's. The pope had Parkinson's, and he spent a bunch of years running all around the world.''
Showing no visible signs of health problems and dressed in his fatigues, Castro said he would not insist on remaining in power if he ever became too sick to lead the country.
''If I don't feel I'm in condition, I'll call the [Communist] Party and tell them I don't feel I'm in condition . . . that please, someone take over the command,'' he said.
But Castro also indicated such a scenario was unlikely to occur soon, saying he exercises regularly ``and don't neglect myself in any way.''
He said those who report his death will be let down.
''Disappointment follows disappointment,'' said Castro, in a speech peppered by occasional slurring and stuttering.
The Herald reported Wednesday that Central Intelligence Agency analysts are so certain Castro has Parkinson's disease that the agency last year began briefing U.S. policy makers. Reports that he suffers from the nonfatal but debilitating illness have swirled for nearly a decade, but this was the first time the CIA was reported to be convinced they are true.
Two longtime government officials familiar with the briefings said the CIA believes Castro was diagnosed around 1998. Both asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Parkinson's symptoms include tremors, stiffness, difficulty with balance and muffled speech, although it varies according to the patient.
Castro fainted during a speech in a Havana suburb in 2001 and was seen almost collapsing during the inauguration of Argentine President Néstor Kirchner in 2003. He broke his knee and arm when he fell in public last year, and former Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutiérrez wrote in his recent book that he had to prop up a dozing Castro several times while sitting next to him at an international event.
The president of Cuba's national assembly, Ricardo Alarcón, was quoted in the Mexican paper El Sol de México, saying that he doesn't believe the reports came from the CIA.
Castro spoke for more than 4 ½ hours to his alma mater.
''I could be like El Cid Campeador,'' Castro said, referring to the medieval Spanish warrior. ``I would recommend that the [Communist] Party put me on a horse -- like Bush -- winning battles even after death.''

Castro has Parkinson's disease, CIA has concluded

2005-11-16T19:11:00.000-05:00

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Castro has Parkinson's disease, CIA has concluded
Two officials said the CIA is convinced that Cuban leader Fidel Castro suffers from Parkinson's disease. The agency has made a point of alerting U.S. policymakers.BY PABLO BACHELET AND FRANCES ROBLESpbachelet@herald.com
WASHINGTON - The CIA has alerted policymakers over the potential eroding of Fidel Castro's health.
The CIA recently concluded that Cuban leader Fidel Castro suffers from Parkinson's disease and has warned U.S. policymakers to be ready for trouble if the 79-year-old ruler's health erodes over the next few years.
If true, the CIA's assessment of the nonfatal but debilitating condition would mean Castro may be entering a period where doctors say the symptoms grow more evident, medicines are less effective and mental functions start to deteriorate.
Although Castro's brother Raúl, head of the armed forces, has been anointed as his successor, Cuba analysts fear the possibility of a tumultuous period during which an incapacitated Castro refuses to give up power but can no longer project his overpowering personality to Cuba's 11 million people.
''For Fidel to start shaking in a real and substantial way -- in public -- sends quite a powerful message to people around the world,'' said Frank O. Mora, a professor of national security strategy at The National War College.
Rumors that Castro suffers from Parkinson's have been around since the mid-1990s. In 1998, he even jokingly challenged journalists to a pistol duel at 25 paces to show the steadiness of his hands.
But the Central Intelligence Agency began briefing senior members of the State Department and lawmakers about one year ago that its doctors had become convinced that Castro was diagnosed with the disease around 1998, said two longtime government officials familiar with the briefings. Both asked for anonymity because leaking the contents of the classified briefing could violate U.S. laws.
''About one year ago, we started seeing some pretty definitive stuff that he had Parkinson's,'' said one of them.
There has been no independent confirmation of Castro's illness, or any indication of how the CIA came to its conclusion. The State Department and the CIA declined to comment for this story.
But one State Department official said there is already evidence that Castro's abilities are fading noticeably. He is increasingly slurring his words and going off on tangents in public speeches, although he seems to have good days and bad days. Clearly, ''he is not the same person he was five years ago,'' added the official.
Others insist that Castro is fine, however. ''He enjoys excellent health,'' Ricardo Alarcón, president of Cuba's National Assembly, said last month after he was asked about Castro's failure to attend the Ibero-American summit in Spain.
Parkinson's symptoms include tremors, stiffness, difficulty with balance and muffled speech, although its exact manifestations vary according to the victim. High-profile individuals stricken with the disease include the late Pope John Paul II, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, actor Michael J. Fox and boxer Muhammad Ali.
Dr. Carlos Singer, a Parkinson's expert at the University of Miami, said the disease on average cuts short the lifespan of a patient only by one or two years. ''The issue is not as much how long they can live, it is how much do they suffer in the process,'' he said.
The first five to eight years usually are ''manageable with relatively small doses of medication,'' Singer said. After that, symptoms such as stooped postures and difficulties with balance become more evident. And in the advanced stages, about 40 percent of patients develop what one specialist on the disease called ``basically an overall decline in cognitive functions.''
DRUG EASES SYMPTOMS
The main drug to ease the symptoms of the disease is levodopa, which replenishes the brain with the dopamine chemical that is deficient in Parkinson's. Patients can program their activities around the periods when the drug is taking effect, known to doctors as ''on periods.'' But over time, the drug loses its effectiveness.
''As the disease slowly progresses, the medications have to be taken more frequently, at higher doses,'' said Paul Larson, a neurosurgeon and Parkinson's specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. 'But you eventually reach a point where the patient is fluctuating between an `on period' and an 'off period' so frequently that you can't, in essence, keep up with just medications.''
Possible side effects of levodopa are involuntary movements and facial grimaces, as well as visual hallucinations. As both Parkinson's and the drug can cause blood pressure to drop, patients can sometimes faint, Singer said.
FAINTED, NODDED OFF
Castro has displayed some signs of ill health in recent years, though perhaps no worse than other 79-year-olds.
Castro fainted during a speech in a Havana suburb in 2001 and was seen almost collapsing during the inauguration of Argentine President Néstor Kirchner in 2003. A public tumble last year left him with a fractured knee and arm, and former Ecuador President Lucio Gutiérrez wrote in his recent book that he had to prop up a nodding-off Castro several times while sitting next to him at an international event.
Cuba watchers also noted Castro was not shown touring the areas of Havana hit by Hurricane Wilma, something out of character for a man who has personally managed every crisis in Cuba since taking power in early 1959, from the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion to the Elián González affair in 2000.
For U.S. policymakers, the report that Castro may suffer from Parkinson's has sparked concerns about Cuba's political stability down the road.
''It's going to be harder for Fidel to go out and perform, and he's been performing the guerrilla theater for 50 years,'' said Brian Latell, a retired CIA analyst on Cuba. Latell is the author of After Fidel, a new book about Castro and his brother Raúl, the world's longest-serving defense minister and the sole designated successor of Castro.
LARGER QUESTIONS
Damián Fernández, director of Florida International University's Cuban Research Institute, said the larger questions are how Castro's subordinates would react to his mental or physical erosion, and how that could affect Raúl's role as Cuba's No. 2.
''I envision Raúl trying to forge key alliances with subordinates in the military and among civilians to rule very tightly,'' he said. ''But I don't know how this could sustain itself without delivering benefits'' to the Cuban people.
That's assuming that Raúl, 74, does not die before his brother. That would leave Fidel without a clear successor and the powerful military, now controlled by the younger brother, without a widely recognized or respected leader.
The result might be political turmoil as senior government officials jockey for power with a Fidel Castro too infirm to make vital decisions.
''The revolution could be hanging by a thread,'' Latell said.
But that may be some time away. During his recent TV interview with Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona, Castro said that rumors of his health were so frequent that ``the day that I die, nobody is going to believe it.''
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Allied Interstate, ATTORNEY GENERAL TAKES ACTION AGAINST DEBT COLLECTORS

2005-11-10T21:09:00.000-05:00

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ATTORNEY GENERAL TAKES ACTION AGAINST DEBT COLLECTORS
The Office of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch filed lawsuits today against two debt collection agencies, Allied Interstate, Inc. and JBC and Associates, P.C. for engaging in business practices which violate Minnesota debt collection and consumer protection laws. Both companies are alleged to have used unlawful tactics to collect debts that were not valid or to collect money from the wrong Minnesota consumer.
“Debt collection agencies are becoming more emboldened and employing more aggressive collection activities. In the past, we've seen debt collectors use harassing techniques to collect debts. We are now seeing companies like JBC and Allied crossing the line by trying to coerce consumers into paying unsubstantiated debts and amounts that were not even owed by them in the first place,” said Solicitor General Lori Swanson.
The complaint against Allied Interstate, a Minnesota-based collection agency, alleges that the company has attempted to collect debts from the wrong person. The lawsuit outlines the following illegal collection practices by Allied:
• Failure to Provide Proper Notice. Allied often initiates its debt collection over the phone without sending a letter to the consumer. When consumers dispute the debt on the phone, the company does not tell them that the debt is valid unless they dispute it in writing; that Allied must verify the debt on written request by the consumer; and that Allied must cease collection on the disputed debt until verification of the debt is provided to the consumer.
• False Representation About the Status or Character of Debt. Allied has continued collection phone calls to innocent consumers, after consumers have orally told the debt collector they have the wrong person or that they do not owe the debt.
The second lawsuit alleges that JBC, a New Jersey-based collection agency, unlawfully attempts to collect debts for its clients with threats of legal action that cannot be taken. The complaint alleges:
• Attempts to Collect on Disputed Debts Without Providing Verification. JBC ignores timely, written disputes by consumers and continues collection efforts without providing the necessary verification. The law requires JBC to cease collection of disputed debts until the company mails verification to the consumer.
• Unlawful Threats to Sue on Time-Barred Debts. JBC improperly threatens legal action against Minnesota consumers for debts that are barred under Minnesota's six-year statute of limitations for civil claims on dishonored checks.
• False and Misleading Representation About $100 Civil Penalties. JBC threatens consumers with statutory penalties that are incorrect and are higher than state law. Minnesota law provides for a civil penalty up to $100, with the precise amount determined by a court. JBC nevertheless attempts to coerce consumers into automatically paying the $100 civil penalty without any determination by the court.
The lawsuits charge both companies with violating Minnesota's consumer protection and debt collection statutes. The Attorney General's Office is seeking to prohibit JBC and Allied from engaging in unlawful debt collection practices. The lawsuit also requests civil penalties, consumer restitution, costs and attorney's fees. The suit against Allied was filed in Hennepin County District Court, and the JBC lawsuit was filed in Ramsey County District Court.
BC is a California professional corporation with its headquarters located at 2 Broad Street, 6th floor, Bloomfield, New Jersey. Allied is a Minnesota corporation with its principal place of business located at 800 Interchange West, 435 Ford Road in Minneapolis.

View complaint against Allied Interstate click here View complaint against JBC & Associates click here
What to do when a collection agency calls click here
If you would like to file a complaint with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office click here

Office of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch1400 Bremer Tower 445 Minnesota Street St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 296-3353 1-800-657-3787 TTY: (651) 297-7206 TTY: 1-800-366-4812

For '73 Rape Victim, DNA Revives Horror, Too

2005-11-03T06:37:00.000-05:00

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By JULIA PRESTON
Published: November 3, 2005
Of all the advances in the last decades in arresting and prosecuting rapists, none have been more revolutionary than testing of DNA, the genetic strands unique to each individual that can link a suspect to a sex crime with cool scientific certainty - a tool more trustworthy than a witness's recollection, or a host of other forensic measures.
DNA can remove much of the guesswork for the police and prosecutors, and it can reach back to grab those who committed crimes decades ago or were charged but dodged conviction. At the same time, DNA can relieve rape victims of the burden of identifying a predator who attacked from behind or in darkness, whose face they never saw, and it can bring a resolution to victims who gave up on justice years ago and learned to live with the injury.
But there is something DNA cannot do: replace the testimony of victims. They must still take the stand, and with that can come a measure of pain.
Kathleen Ham was raped in Manhattan 32 years ago. She wants her name to be public along with her account of the crime to show that she is not ashamed, and today she will testify in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, confronting for a second time the man accused of attacking her on a summer night in 1973.
She will recall how a man came through the window. How he pulled a sheet over her head, and held a knife at her throat. How she screamed and fought him, but was not as strong. How she never saw his face.
The first trial, in 1974, ended with a hung jury. Ms. Ham, 58, learned in April that the defendant, who is now known as Fletcher Anderson Worrell, had been conclusively matched to the assault by DNA. Since then, she has been forced to revisit the attack, and retrace the arc of a damaged life, the years of insomnia and self-rebuke that sometimes felt to her like a walking death.
"He's been out there for 32 years," Ms. Ham, a lawyer who lives in California, says in her warm voice turned gravelly by years of chain-smoking. "And I've been in my own private jail."
DNA helped to track Mr. Worrell, 59, back through the years, tying him as a suspect to at least 24 other rapes in New Jersey and Maryland, all of them committed after the rape of Ms. Ham.
Ms. Ham's three-decade story is framed by remarkable changes in the criminal justice system - especially rape prosecutions. Prosecutors have become skilled in sex crime cases, and in respectful handling of victims. Revised laws place fewer burdens on those who were attacked, and juries are more sympathetic.
Yesterday, she was torn with worry, but resolved. "I think underlying this," Ms. Ham said, "is a certain part of me that says that even if it hurts, things are supposed to be done right."
DNA has transformed thousands of other sex and violent crime cases across the country. The F.B.I., which maintains the national databank of DNA criminal case profiles, says that DNA has so far helped in the prosecution of 27,806 cases nationwide. DNA testing is unlocking old rape cases as fast as local law enforcement laboratories can analyze evidence and dispatch results to the databank. In the last few years, DNA helped to clarify seven unsolved rapes in New Iberia, La., three decade-old cases in Baltimore, dozens of cases in Ohio. DNA testing has provided new leads in more than 200 old rape cases in New York.
Mr. Worrell has sat calmly through a series of pretrial hearings, a stocky man of 5-foot-9 with broad arms and sloping shoulders. Described in court papers as a long-practicing Muslim, he came to court wearing a bushy beard and a macramé kufi cap. Mr. Worrell's lawyer, Michael F. Rubin, has asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that New York authorities had information on his whereabouts years ago and should have arrested him then. The court denied the motion.
On the night of June 26, 1973, Ms. Ham had just moved to Manhattan, and was staying at a friend's studio apartment on West 21st Street in Chelsea. She had been a student at Berkeley in the 1960's, and was still a free spirit. In 1968 she had hitchhiked, on a whim, across Europe to Prague, to see the uprising there before the Russian tanks rolled in.
"I said, this is history, I have to see it," Ms. Ham said, drawing on a cigarette and describing her fearless younger self like a character from a novel she read and put away long ago. She is not tall, but has straight bearing, a sophisticate's language and a Park Avenue voice. A photograph from 1975 shows a smiling, slim woman with hair flowing to her shoulders, classic cheekbones and bold red lipstick. Today she is heavier, and her curls are closer-cropped.
She had come to a city very different from today's New York: shadowed with fiscal crisis, and crime so rampant that 13 police officers had been killed in the line of duty just two years before.
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Cibotium Barometz,Pengawar Djambi ,Paku Eidang. Golden Moss

2005-11-02T20:19:00.000-05:00

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Cibotium is a genus of perhaps a dozen species of tropical tree fern - subject to much confusion and revision - distributed fairly narrowly in Hawaii (six species), Southeast Asia (three species), and the cloud forests of Central America (two species). Some of the species currently listed in the literature seem to be synonyms or local-variant sub-species. Cibotium glaucum, from Hawaii, is the most frequently encountered Cibotium species in the horticultural trade, together with its sibling species C. chamissoi and the potentially huge C. menziesii. The remaining Hawaiian Cibotium species, C. nealiae, is a one-metre dwarf variety, restricted to one island, and never seen in the horticultural trade. Precise identification of the Hawaiian Cibotiums is difficult, even for experts; however all have shiny and rather waxy fronds when viewed from above, with varying degrees of powdery-pale blush when seen from underneath. The dripping forests and stream gulleys of the cloud forests on Hawaii's volcanic slopes are the natural habitat of Cibotium.
Pressure on Hawaiian Cibotium habitats comes from development encroaching on the forested areas, especially the more accessible lower lying areas which are commercially attractive for land clearance. Another less obvious threat comes, somewhat ironically, from an invasive introduced tree fern species, Cyathea cooperi (the most popular garden tree fern in the United States), which has escaped from the islands' suburban gardens and now out-competes the endemic flora. Wind-blown spores from this rapidly growing Australian import can migrate many miles into pristine Cibotium forests. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, but one which may eventually have grave consequences for the tree fern ecology in Hawaii.
The other Cibotiums that often surface in botanical collections are C. schiedei and C. regale (Mexico), plus C. barometz (Asia). The latter species is best known for its role in ancient medicine, and even today its hairs are a staple ingredient in ointments used in natural Chinese remedies. The medieval world was beguiled by stories that claimed Cibotium barometz - the 'Scythian Lamb' - was in fact half-sheep, half vegetable.
There are no publically accessible Cibotium collections growing outdoors in the United Kingdom - although they are sometimes glimpsed in Californian garden designs - but there are two outstanding glasshouse collections at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and at RBG Edinburgh in Scotland.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cibotium"

Young uncurling fronds of tree ferns are often eaten in the wild by animals and birds. Humans have also used tree ferns as a food source. The Aboriginal peoples of Australia, the peoples of Hawaii, India, Madagascar, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and the Maori in New Zealand are known to have used the pith from the center of the trunk as a starch source. The young uncurling fronds have also been eaten. This material is often full of silicates and resinous compounds and remains an acquired taste. For a short period in the 1920s, Cibotium starch was extracted in Hawaii commercially for laundry and food use (Nelson and Hornibrook 1962).
Several tree ferns have toxic or therapeutic properties; some have been explored for antiviral and medicinal uses. About 300 B.C., Theophrastus recommended oil extracted from ferns to expel internal parasites. Cyathea manniana (also called C. usambarensis) from East Africa has been used by the Chagga and by German troops in the First World War as an anthelmintic (Mabberley 1997). However, excessive or prolonged use is reported to cause blindness. The sappy gum from the large tree fern C. medullaris (native to the New Zealand region) is likewise a vermifuge. This gum is happily also a treatment for diarrhea.
Cyathea medullaris has many further uses, with extracts used for easing boils (T. Bell 1890). The slimy material from the interior of a young uncurling frond has also been rubbed on wounds or used in various ways to relieve sores, saddle sores on horses, swollen feet, and sore eyes (three applications per day were advised). The young fronds have also been boiled and the liquid drunk to assist the expulsion of afterbirth (O. Adams 1945). The small scales on the fronds of this species are often an irritant and are reported as having been used by inventive children as itching powder. Other members of the genus Cyathea provide a variety of medicinal uses. In Fiji, infusions made from frond material of C. lunulata were used to treat headaches as well as taken by expectant mothers to shorten the period of labor. On Pohnpei, also in the Pacific, fronds of C. nigricans were pounded, squeezed, and the liquid drunk as a contraceptive; there is no record of its success or otherwise. In Malesia, stems and frond extractions of C. moluccana have been used to poultice sores. (For further discussion see Burkill 1935, Cambie and Ash 1994, and Cambie and Brewis 1997.)
The use of tree fern fronds, stipes, scales, and trunks to treat wounds is widespread. Frond material of Cyathea mexicana (also known as Alsophila firma) has been used in Mexico to treat hemorrhaging. The four Hawaiian species of Cibotium are also traditionally used as a wound dressing, as is C. arachnoideum in Malaysia and the Indonesian portion of Borneo. Rhizome hairs from this latter species have also been used to staunch blood loss from open wounds. Similar use as a wound dressing has been made of Cyathea dealbata by the New Zealand Maori. The pith of this plant was used as a poultice for cutaneous eruptions. Ponga powder, probably from C. dealbata, was used by early New Zealand settlers for the reduction of fever, though its effectiveness is not recorded. A surviving package of "Mrs Subritzky's Ponga Powder" can still be found in the Wagner Museum, Northland, New Zealand (Brooker et al. 1981).
Cibotium barometz, from China and Malaysia, is still used medicinally. Hairs of the rhizome and stipe may be charred or used fresh as a wound dressing, and the fronds are used to ease fainting. This short fern, with its distinctive furry trunk, has long been considered to have magical properties. The rhizome (turned upside down with bud and four leaf bases) was passed off as the "vegetable lamb," a strange beast that was thought to be half animal and half plant. Stories of a vegetable lamb, or organism sharing both plant and animal characteristics, date to the time of Christ. One of the early descriptions may be found in Talmud Ierosolimitanum (A.D. 436). In the 14th century, John Mandeville brought to England the story of a fruit that enclosed a "a beast as it were of fleshe and bone and bloud, as it were a lyttle lambe without wolle" (Ashton 1890). There is no direct proof that these early stories specifically concern C. barometz, and they may refer to cotton or some similar plant. However, these descriptions have become mingled with later stories, specifically those concerning the Scythian lamb or lamb of Tartary, from India and Asia; the specific name barometz is a Tartar word, meaning lamb.
By the 16th century, even respectable scholars believed in the existence of this beast. Many early illustrations seem to show a dead dog supported on a stalk. In the early 18th century, several vegetable lambs were exhibited at the Royal Society, London. One of these specimens remains in the 18th-century collection of Hans Sloane, now in the Natural History Museum, London. There is little doubt that this lamb is formed from a rhizome of Cibotium barometz. In the 17th and 18th centuries, these lambs were fashioned by the Chinese to use as toys and charms to ward off evil.
Pengawar Djambi (more). Paku Eidang. Golden Moss.—This is composed of silky, long, yellow or brownish hairs, very soft, which are obtained in Sumatra from the base of the shrub of various ferns, especially Cibotium Link. (Fam. Cyatheaceae), a peculiar fern related to Dicksonia. (See also S. W. P., 1910, No. 43, 661.) It has the power of causing rapid coagulation of blood, and, when properly used, of mechanically arresting hemorrhages from capillaries. It has been much used. in the physiological laboratories of Europe and this country, and was employed in human medicine during the Middle Ages under the name of Agnus Scythicus. The medieval drug was composed of pieces of the rhizome with the attached scales and petioles so cut as to resemble animals. Interest in the pengawar djambi was revived on account of the assertions of Junker of its usefulness during the Franco-German war. (L. M. R., Dec., 1887.) It is undoubtedly a very efficient styptic.

The Scientific Investigation of Ayahuasca

2005-11-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

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The Scientific Investigation of Ayahuasca
A Reviefw of Past and Current Research
by McKenna D, Callaway JC, Grob CS
Dennis J McKenna, PhD -- Heffter Research Institute
J C Callaway, PhD -- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kuopio, Finland
Charles S Grob MD --Heffter Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Harbor/UCLA Medical Center,
Introduction Of the numerous plant psychotropics utilized by indigenous populations of the Amazon Basin, perhaps none is as interesting or complex, botanically, chemically, or ethnographically, as the beverage known variously as ayahuasca , caapi, or yage. The beverage is most widely known as ayahuasca , a Quechua term meaning "vine of the souls," which is applied both to the beverage itself and to one of the source-plants used in its preparation, the Malpighiaceous jungle liana, Banisteriopsis caapi (Schultes, 1957). In Brazil, transliteration of this Quechua word into Portuguese results in the name, Hoasca . Hoasca, or ayahuasca , occupies a central position in Mestizo ethnomedicine, and the chemical nature of its active constituents and the manner of its use makes its study relevant to contemporary issues in neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, and psychiatry. Traditional and Indigenous Uses of AyahuascaThe use of ayahuasca under a variety of names is a widespread practice among various indigenous aboriginal tribes endemic to the Amazon Basin (Schultes, 1957). Such practices undoubtedly were well established in pre-Columbian times, and in fact may have been known to the earliest human inhabitants of the region. Iconographic depictions on ceramics and other artifacts from Ecuador have provided evidence that the practice dates to at least 2000 B.C. (Naranjo, 1986). Its widespread distribution among numerous Amazonian tribes also argues for its relative antiquity. Considerable genetic intermingling and adoption of local customs followed in the wake of European contact, and ayahuasca , along with a virtual pharmacopoeia of other medicinal plants, gradually became integrated into the ethnomedical traditions of these mixed populations. Today the drug forms an important element of ethnomedicine and shamanism as it is practiced among indigenous Mestizo populations in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. The sociology and ethnography of the contemporary use of ayahuasca (as it is most commonly termed) in Mestizo ethnomedicine has been extensively described (Dobkin de Rios, 1972, 1973; Luna, 1984, 1986)Syncretic Religious Use of Ayahuasca From the perspective of the sociologist or the ethnographer, discussion of the use of ayahuasca or hoasca can conveniently be divided into a consideration of its use among indigenous aboriginal and mestizo populations, and its more recent adoption by contemporary syncretic religious movements such as the Uni' do Vegetal (UDV), Barquena, and Santo Daime sects in Brasil. It is within the context of acculturated groups such as these that questions regarding the psychological, medical, and legal aspects of the use of ayahuasca become most relevant, and also, most accessible to study.The use of ayahuasca in the context of mestizo folk medicine closely resembles the shamanic uses of the drug as practiced among aboriginal peoples. In both instances, the brew is used for curing, for divination, as a diagnostic tool and a magical pipeline to the supernatural realm. This traditional mode of use contrasts from the contemporary use of ayahuasca tea within the context of Brazilian syncretic religious movements. Within these groups, the members consume ayahuasca tea at regular intervals in group rituals in a manner that more closely resembles the Christian Eucharist than the traditional aboriginal use. The individual groups of the UDV, termed nucleos, are similar to a Christian Hutterite sect, in that each group has a limited membership, which then splits to form a new group once the membership expands beyond the set limit. The nucleo consists of the congregation, a group leader or mestre, various acolytes undergoing a course of study and training in order to become mestres, and a temple, an actual physical structure where the sacrament is prepared and consumed at prescribed times, usually the first and third Saturday of each month. The membership of these newer syncretic groups spans a broad socio-economic range and includes many educated, middle-class, urban professionals (including a number of physicians and other health professionals). Some older members have engaged in the practice for 30 or more years without apparent adverse health effects. The UDV and the Santo Daime sects are the largest and most visible of several syncretic religious movements in Brasil that have incorporated the use of ayahuasca into their ritual practices. Of the two larger sects, it is the UDV that possesses the strongest organizational structure as well as the most highly disciplined membership. Of all the ayahuasca churches in Brasil, the UDV has also been the most pivotal in convincing the government to remove ayahuasca from its list of banned drugs. In 1987, the government of Brasil approved the ritual use of hoasca tea ('hoasca' is a Portugese shortening of 'ayahuasca' and is sometimes used to differentiate UDV brew from non-UDV ayahuasca) in the context of group religious ceremonies. This ruling has potentially significant implications, not only for Brasil, but for global drug policy, as it marks the first time in over 1600 years that a government has granted permission to its non-indigenous citizens to use a psychedelic substance in the context of religious practices.Botanical, Chemical, and Pharmacological Aspects of AyahuascaAyahuasca is unique in that its pharmacological activity is dependent on a synergistic interaction between the active alkaloids in the plants. One of the components, the bark of Banisteriopsis caapi, contains ß-carboline alkaloids, which are potent MAO-A inhibitors; the other component, the leaves of Psychotria viridis or related species, contains the potent short-acting psychoactive agent N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). DMT is not orally active when ingested by itself, but can be rendered orally active in the presence of a peripheral MAO inhibitor - and this interaction is the basis of the psychotropic action of ayahuasca (McKenna, Towers, & Abbott, 1984). 1 Botanical sources of ayahuascaIn a traditional context, Ayahuasca is a beverage prepared by boiling - or soaking - the bark and stems of Banisteriopsis caapi together with various admixture plants. The admixture employed most commonly is the Rubiaceous genus Psychotria, particularly P. viridis. The leaves of P. viridis contains alkaloids which are necessary for the psychoactive effect (see the sections on chemistry and pharmacology, below). There are also reports (Schultes, 1972) that other Psychotria species, especially P. leiocarpa or P. carthaginensis, are used instead of P. viridis, but such reports may be due to a botanical misidentification; in any case, use of Psychotria species other than P. viridis is rare. In the Northwest Amazon, particularly in the Colombian Putumayo and Ecuador, the leaves of Diplopterys cabrerana, a jungle liana in the same family as Banisteriopsis, are added to the brew in lieu of the leaves of Psychotria. The alkaloid present in Diplopterys, however, is identical to that in the Psychotria admixtures, and pharmacologically, the effect is the same. In Peru, various admixtures in addition to Psychotria or Dipolopterys are frequently added, depending on the magical, medical, or religious purposes for which the drug is being consumed. Although a virtual pharmacopoeia of admixtures are occasionally added, the most commonly employed admixtures (other than Psychotria, which is a constant component of the preparation) are various Solanaceous genera, including tobacco (Nicotiana sp.), Brugmansia sp., and Brunfelsia sp. (Schultes, 1972; McKenna, et al., 1995). These Solanaceous genera are known to contain alkaloids, such as nicotine, scopalamine, and atropine, which effect both central and peripheral adrenergic and cholinergic neurotransmission. The interactions of such agents with serotonergic agonists and MAO inhibitors are essentially unknown in modern medicine. 2 Chemistry of ayahuasca and its source plantsThe chemical constituents of ayahuasca and the source-plants used in its preparation have been well characterized (McKenna, et al., 1984; Rivier & Lindgren, 1972). Banisteriopsis caapi contains the ß-carboline derivatives harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline as the major alkaloids (Callaway, et al., 1996). Trace amounts of other ß-carbolines have also been reported (McKenna, et al., 1984; Rivier & Lindgren, 1972; Hashimoto and Kawanishi, 1975, 1976) as well as the pyrrolidine alkaloids shihunine and dihydroshihunine (Kawanishi et al. 1982). The admixture plant, Psychotria viridis, contains a single major alkaloid, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), while N-methyl tryptamine and methyl-tetrahydro-ß-carboline have been reported as trace constituents (McKenna, et al., 1984; Rivier & Lindgren, 1972). The admixture plant Psychotria carthagenensis has been reported to contain the same alkaloids (Rivier & Lindgren, 1972) but a subsequent investigation could not confirm the presence of DMT in the single collection examined (McKenna, et al., 1984). The concentrations of alkaloids reported in Banisteriopsis caapi range from 0.05 % dry weight to 1.95 % dry weight; in Psychotria, the concentration of alkaloids ranged from 0.1 to 0.66 % dry weight (McKenna, et al., 1984; Rivier & Lindgren, 1972). Similar ranges and values were reported by both groups of investigators.The concentrations of alkaloids in the ayahuasca beverages are, not surprisingly, several times greater than in the source plants from which they are prepared. Based on a quantitative analysis of the major alkaloids in several samples of ayahuasca collected on the upper Rio Purœs, Rivier & Lindgren (1972) calculated that a 200 ml dose of ayahuasca contained an average of 30 mg of harmine, 10 mg tetrahydroharmine, and 25 mg DMT. Callaway, et al., determined the following concentrations of alkaloids in the hoasca tea utilized in the biomedical study with the UDV (mg/ml): DMT, 0.24; THH, 1.07; harmaline, 0.20; and harmine 1.70. A typical 100 ml dose of hoasca thus contains in mg: DMT, 24; THH, 107; harmaline, 20; harmine, 170. Interestingly, these concentrations are above the threshold of activity for i.v. administration of DMT (Strassman & Qualls, 1994).McKenna et al. (1984) reported somewhat higher values for the alkaloid content of several samples of Peruvian ayahausca. These investigators calculated that a 100 ml dose of these preparations contained a total of 728 mg total alkaloid, of which 467 mg is harmine, 160 mg is tetrahydroharmine, 41 mg is harmaline, and 60 mg is DMT. This is well within the range of activity for DMT administered i.m. (Szara, 1956) or i.v. (Strassman & Qualls, 1994) and is also well within the range for harmine to act effectively as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). In vitro, these ß-carbolines function as MAOI at approximately 10 nM (e.g., harmine's IC50 for MAOI is ~1.25 x 10-8 M; cf. McKenna, et al., 1984; Buckholtz & Boggan, 1977). In mice, harmaline administered i.p. at 5 mg/kg causes 100% inhibition by 2 hours post-injection, the activity falling off rapidly thereafter (Udenfriend et al. 1958) This dose corresponds to approximately 375 mg in a 75 kg adult, but, based on the measured concentration of harmine in the liver, it is likely that one half this dose or less would also be effective. The reasons for the discrepancy in alkaloid concentrations between the samples examined by Rivier & Lindgren (1972) and those examined by McKenna, et al. (1984) are readily explained by the differences in the methods of preparation. The method employed in preparing ayahuasca in Pucallpa, Peru, where the samples analyzed by McKenna et al. (1984) were collected, results in a much more concentrated brew than the method employed on the upper Rio Purœs, the region which was the source of the samples examined by Rivier & Lindgren. The concentrations and proportions of alkaloids can vary significantly in different batches of ayahuasca , depending on the method of preparation, as well as the amounts and proportions of the source-plants. ß-carbolines, by themselves, may have some psychoactivity and thus may contribute to the overall psychotropic activity of the ayahuasca beverage; however, it is probably inaccurate to characterize the psychotropic properties of ß-carbolines as "hallucinogenic" or "psychedelic" (Shulgin & Shulgin, 1997). As MAO inhibitors, ß-carbolines can increase brain levels of serotonin, and the primarily sedative effects of high doses of ß-carbolines are thought to result from their blockade of serotonin deamination. The primary action of ß-carbolines in the ayahuasca beverage is their inhibition of peripheral MAO, which protects the DMT in the brew from peripheral degradation and thus renders it orally active. There is some evidence, however, that tetrahydroharmine (THH), the second most abundant ß-carboline in the beverage, acts as a weak 5-HT uptake inhibitor and MAOI. Thus, THH may prolong the half-life of DMT by blocking its intraneuronal uptake, and hence, its inactivation by MAO, localized in mitochondria within the neuron. On the other hand, THH may block serotonin uptake into the neuron, resulting in higher levels of 5HT in the synaptic cleft; this 5-HT, in turn, may attenuate the subjective effects of orally ingested DMT by competing with it at post-synaptic receptor sites (Callaway, et al., 1997).3 Pharmacological actions of Ayahuasca and its Active AlkaloidsThe psychotropic activity of ayahuascais a function of the peripheral inactivation of MAO by the ß-carboline alkaloids in the mixture. This action prevents the peripheral oxidative deamination of the DMT, which is the primary psychotropic component, rendering it orally active and enabling it to reach its site of action in the CNS in an intact form. (McKenna, et al 1984; Schultes, 1972). DMT alone is inactive following oral administration at doses up to 1000 mg (Shulgin, 1982; Nichols, et al. 1991). DMT is active by itself following parenteral administration starting at around 25 mg (Szara, 1956; Strassman & Qualls, 1994). Because of its oral inactivity, various methods of parenteral administration are employed by users. For example, synthetic DMT is commonly smoked as the free base; in this form, the alkaloid volatilizes readily and produces an immediate, intense psychedelic episode of short duration (5 -15 min), usually characterized by multicolored, rapidly moving visual patterns behind the closed eyelids (Stafford, 1977). The Yanomamo Indians and other Amazonian tribes prepare a snuff from the sap of various trees in the genus Virola, which contain large amounts of DMT and the related compound, 5-methoxy-DMT, which is also orally inactive (McKenna, et al. 1985; Schultes and Hofmann, 1980). The effects of the botanical snuffs containing DMT, while not as intense as smoking DMT free base, are similarly rapid in onset and of limited duration [unpublished data]. The ayahuasca beverage is unique in that it is the only traditionally used psychedelic where the enzyme-inhibiting principles in one plant (ß-carbolines) are used to facilitate the oral activity of the psychoactive principles in another plant (DMT). The psychedelic experience which follows ingestion of ayahuasca differs markedly from the effects of parenterally ingested DMT; the time of onset is approximately 35-40 minutes after ingestion, and the effects, which are less intense than parenterally administered synthetic DMT, last approximately four hours. The subjective effects of ayahuasca include phosphene imagery seen with the eyes closed, dream-like reveries, and a feeling of alertness and stimulation. Peripheral autonomic changes in blood pressure, heart-rate, etc., are also less pronounced in ayahuasca than parenteral DMT. In some individuals, transient nausea and episodes of vomiting occur, while others are rarely affected in this respect. When ayahuasca is taken in a group setting, vomiting is considered a normal part of the experience and allowances are made to accommodate this behavior (Callaway, et al., 1997). The amounts of ß-carbolines present in a typical dose of ayahuasca are well above the threshold for activity as MAOI. It is likely that the main contribution of the ß-carbolines to the acute effects of ayahuasca results from their facilitation of the oral activity of DMT, through their action as peripheral MAOI. It is worthy of note that ß-carbolines are highly selective inhibitors of MAO-A, the form of the enzyme for which serotonin, and presumably other tryptamines, including DMT, are the preferred substrates (Yasuhara, et al., 1972; Yasuhara, 1974). This selectivity of ß-carbolines for MAO-A over MAO-B, combined with their relatively low affinity for liver MAO compared to brain MAO, may explain why reports of hypertensive crises following the ingestion of ayahuasca have not been documented. On the other hand, Suzuki, et al., (1981) has reported that DMT is primarily oxidized by MAO-B; it is possible, therefore, that high concentrations of ß-carbolines, partially inhibit MAO-B as well as MAO-A; but the greater affinity of tyramine for MAO-B enables it to compete for binding to the enzyme and displace any residual ß-carbolines. This mechanism would explain the lack of any reports of peripheral autonomic stimulation associated with the ingestion of ayahuasca in combination with foods containing tyramine (Callaway, et al., 1997).DMT and its derivatives and the ß-carboline derivatives are widespread in the plant kingdom (Allen & Holmstedt, 1980) and both classes of alkaloids have been detected as endogenous metabolites in mammals, including man (Bloom, et al. 1982; Barker, et al. 1981a; Airaksinen & Kari, 1981). Methyl transferases which catalyze the synthesis of DMT, 5-methoxy-DMT, and bufotenine have been characterized in human lung, brain, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, liver, and heart, and also in rabbit lung, toad, mouse, steer, guinea pig, and baboon brains, as well as in other tissues in these species (McKenna & Towers, 1984). Endogenous psychotogens have been suggested as possible etiological factors in schizophrenia and other mental disorders, but the evidence remains equivocal (Fischman, 1983). Although the occurrence, synthesis, and degradative metabolism of DMT in mammalian systems has been the focus of recent scientific investigations (Barker, et al. 1981b), the candidacy of DMT as a possible endogenous psychotogen essentially ended when experiments showed comparable levels in both schizophrenics and normals. At present the possible neuroregulatory functions of this "psychotomimetic" compound are incompletely understood, but Callaway (1988) has presented an interesting hypothesis regarding the possible role of endogenous DMT and ß-carbolines in regulating sleep cycles and REM states. ß-carbolines are tricyclic indole alkaloids that are closely related to tryptamines, both biosynthetically and pharmacologically. They are readily synthesized via the condensation of indoleamines with aldehydes or alpha-keto acids, and their biosynthesis probably also proceeds via similar reactions (Callaway et al., 1994). ß-carbolines have also been identified in mammalian tissue including human plasma and platelets, and rat whole brain, forebrain, arcuate nucleus, and adrenal glands (Airaksinen and Kari, 1981). 6-methoxy-tetrahydro-ß-carboline has been recently identified as a major constituent of human pineal gland (Langer et al. 1984). This compound inhibits the high-affinity binding of [3H]-imipramine to 5-HT receptors in human platelets (Langer et al. 1984), and also significantly inhibits 5-HT binding to type 1 receptors in rat brain; the compound has a low affinity to type 2 receptors, however (Taylor et al. 1984). 2-methyl-tetrahydro-ß-carboline and harman have been detected in human urine following ethanol loading, (Rommelspacher, et al., 1980) and it has been suggested that endogenous ß-carbolines and other amine-aldehyde condensation products may be related to the etiology of alcoholism (Rahwan, 1975). At least one ß-carboline has been identified as a by-product of the oxidative metabolism of DMT in rat brain homogenates (Barker, et al. 1980).ß-carbolines exert a variety of neurophysiological and biological effects (McKenna and Towers, 1984). ß-carboline derivatives are selective, reversible, competitive inhibitors of MAO-A (Buckholtz and Boggan, 1976, 1977). Other neurophysiological actions of ß-carbolines include competitive inhibition of the uptake of 5-HT, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine into synaptosomes (Buckholtz and Boggan, 1976; PŠhkla, et al., 1997), inhibition of Na+ dependent membrane ATPases (Canessa, et al. 1973), interference with biosynthesis of biogenic amines (Ho, 1977), and vasopressin-like effects on sodium and water transport in isolated toad skin (de Sousa and Gross, 1978). ß-carboline-3-carboxylate and various esterified derivatives have been implicated as possible endogenous ligands for benzodiazepine receptors (Lippke et al. 1983). ß-carboline ligands of these receptors can induce epileptiform seizures in rats and in chickens homozygous for the epileptic gene (Morin, 1984; Johnson, et al. 1984); this proconvulsant action can be blocked by other receptor ligands, including diazepam and ß-carboline-carboxylate propyl ester (Morin, 1984; Johnson, et al. 1984). ß-carbolines also exhibit other biological activities in addition to their effects on neurophysiological systems. For instance Hopp and co-workers found that harmine exhibited significant anti-trypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma lewisii (Hopp et al., 1976). This finding may explain the use of ayahuasca in mestizo ethnomedicine as a prophylactic against malaria and internal parasites (Rodriguez, et al. 1982). Certain ß-carbolines are known to exert mutagenic or co-mutagenic effects, and the mechanism responsible may be related to their interactions with nucleic acids (Umezawa, et al. 1978; Hayashi, et al. 1977). The ultra-violet activated photocytotoxic and photogenotoxic activity of some ß-carbolines has also been reported (McKenna & Towers 1981; Towers & Abramosky, 1983).Recent Biomedical Investigations of AyahuascaAlthough achieving some notoriety in North American literature through the popular press and the writings of William Burroughs and Allan Ginsberg (Burroughs and Ginsberg, 1963), the psychological and physiological phenomena induced by ayahuasca have received little or no rigorous study. Various travellers to the Amazon have reported their own first hand experiences with ayahuasca (Weil, 1980; Davis, 1996), while both formal and informal ethnographic narratives have excited the public imagination (Lamb, 1971; Luna and Amaringo, 1991). Interest in the exotic origins and effects of ayahuasca have attracted a steady stream of North American tourists, often enticed by articles and advertisements in popular and New Age magazines (Krajick, 1992; Ott, 1993). Concern over possible adverse health effects resulting from the use of ayahuasca by such naive travelers has recently been expressed by a noted authority on Mestizo ayahuasca use (Dobkin de Rios, 1994). These concerns are in marked contrast to testimonials of improved psychological and moral functioning by the adherents of the syncretic hoasca churches in Brasil. The individuals who are attracted to the UDV seem to belong to a slightly more professional socio-economic class than those who join the Santo Daime. Of the approximately 7000 members of the UDV in Brasil, perhaps 5 - 10 % are medical professionals, among them physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, chiropracters, and homeopathic physicians. Most of these individuals are fully aware of the psychologically beneficial aspects of the practice, and evince a great interest in the scientific study of hoasca , including its botany, chemistry, and pharmacology. The medically educated members can discuss all of these aspects with a sophistication equal to that of any U.S.-trained physician, or other medical professional. At the same time they do have a genuine spiritual reverence for the hoasca tea and the experiences it evokes. The UDV places a high value on the search for scientific truth, and sees no conflict between science and religion; most members of the UDV express a strong interest in learning as much as possible about how the tea acts on the body and brain. As a result of this unique circumstance, the UDV presents an ideal context in which to conduct a biomedical investigation of the acute and long-term effects of hoasca /ayahuasca. Due to a fortunate combination of circumstances, we were invited to conduct such a biomedical investigation of long-term hoasca drinkers by the Medical Studies section of the UDV (Centro de Estudos Medicos). This study, which was conducted by an international consortium of scientists from Brasil, the United States, and Finland, was financed through private donations to various non-profit sponsoring groups, notably Botanical Dimensions, which provided major funding, the Heffter Research Institute, and MAPS, (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies). Botanical Dimensions is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and preservation of ethnomedically significant plants, and MAPS and the Heffter Research Institute are non-profit organizations dedicated to the investigation of the medical and therapeutic uses of psychedelic agents. The field phase of the study was conducted during the summer of 1993 at one of the oldest UDV temples, the Nucleo Caupari located in the Amazonian city of Manaus, Brasil. Subsequent laboratory investigations took place at the respective academic institutions of some of the principle investigators, including the Department of Psychiatry, Harbor UCLA Medical Center, the Department of Neurology, University of Miami School of Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry, University of Rio de Janeiro, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Amazonas Medical School, Manaus, and the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kuopio, Finland. Since this study was the first of its kind, there was virtually no pre-existing data on the objective measurement of the physical and psychological effects of ayahuasca in human subjects. As a result, this study was in some respects a pilot study; its primary objectives were modest, representing an effort to collect a basic body of data, without attempting to relate the findings to either possible detrimental effects of ayahuasca, or to possible therapeutic effects. The study had four major objectives:- Assessment of Acute Psychological and Physiological Effects of Hoasca in Human Subjects- Assessment of Serotonergic Functions in Long-term Users of Hoasca Tea- Quantitative Determination of Active Constituents of Hoasca Teas in Plasma- Quantitative Determination of Active Constituents of Hoasca TeasMost of these objectives were achieved, and the results have been published in various peer-reviewed scientific journals (Grob, et al., 1996; Callaway, et al., 1994; Callaway, et al., 1996;. Callaway, et al., 1997) Some key findings are summarized briefly below. Assessment of Acute and Long-term Psychological Effects of Hoasca Teas (Grob, et al., 1996)The subjects in all of the studies consisted of a group of fifteen healthy, male volunteers, all of whom had belonged to the UDV for a minimum of ten years, and who ingested hoasca on average of once every two weeks, in the context of the UDV ritual. None of the subjects actively used tobacco, alcohol, or any drugs other than hoasca. For some comparative aspects of the study, a control group of fifteen age-matched males was also used; these individuals were recruited from among the friends and siblings of the volunteer subjects, and like them were local residents of Manaus having similar diets and socio-economic status. None of the control subjects were members of the UDV, and none had ever ingested hoasca tea. The psychological assessments, administered to both groups, consisted of structured psychiatric diagnostic interviews, personality testing, and neuropsychological reviewuations. Measures administered to the UDV hoasca drinkers, but not to the hoasca-niave group, included semistructured and open-ended life story interviews, and a phenomenological assessment of the altered state elicited by hoasca, was quantified using the Hallucinogen Rating Scale developed by Dr. Rick Strassman in his work with DMT and psilocybin in human subjects (Strassman, et al., 1994). The UDV volunteers showed significant differences from the hoasca-naive subjects in the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and the WHO-UCLA Auditory Verbal Learning Test. The TPQ assesses three general areas of behavior, viz., novelty-seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence. With respect to novelty-seeking behaviors, UDV members were found to have greater stoic rigidity vs exploratory excitability, greater regimentation vs disorderliness, and a trend toward greater reflection vs impulsivity; but there was no difference between the groups on the spectrum between reserve and extravagance. On the harm reduction scale, UDV subjects had significantly greater confidence vs fear of uncertainty, and trends toward greater gregariousness vs shyness, and greater optimism vs anticipatory worry. No significant differences were found between the two groups in criteria related to reward-dependence. The fifteen UDV volunteers and the control subjects were also given the WHO-UCLA Auditory Learning Verbal Memory Test. Experimental subjects performed significantly better than controls on word recall tests. There was also a trend, though not statistically significant, for the UDV subjects to perform better than controls on number of words recalled, delayed recall, and words recalled after interference. The Hallucinogen Rating Scale, developed by Strassman et. al (1994) for the phenomenological assessment of subjects given intravenous doses of DMT, was administered to the UDV volunteers only (since control subjects did not receive the drug). All of the clinical clusters on the HRS were in the mild end of the spectrum compared to intravenous DMT. The clusters for affect, intensity, cognition, and volition, were comparable to an intravenous DMT dose of 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg, and the cluster for perception was comparable to 0.1 mg/kg intravenous DMT; the cluster for somatesthesia was less than the lowest dose of DMT measured by the scale, 0.05 mg/kg. The most striking findings of the psychological assessment came from the structured diagnostic interviews, and the semi-structured open-ended life story interviews. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used for the structured diagnostic interview. None of the UDV subjects had a current psychiatric diagnosis, whereas two of the control subjects had an active diagnosis of alcohol misuse and hypochondriasis. Only one subject among the controls had a past psychiatric disorder that was no longer present; an alcohol misuse disorder that had remitted two years previously. However, prior to membership in the UDV, eleven of the UDV subjects had diagnoses of alcohol misuse disorders, two had had past major depressive disorders, four had past histories of drug misuse (cocaine and amphetamines), eleven were addicted to tobacco, and three had past phobic anxiety disorders. Five of the subjects with a history of alcoholism also had histories of violent behavior associated with binge drinking. All of these pathological diagnoses had remitted following entry into the UDV. All of the UDV subjects interviewed reported the subjective impression that their use of hoasca tea within the context of the UDV had led to improved mental and physical health, and significant improvements in interpersonal, work, and family interactions.Assessment of Serotonergic Functions in Long-term Users of Hoasca (Callaway, et al., 1994)Another objective of the study was to investigate whether long-term use of hoasca resulted in any identifiable "biochemical marker" that was correlated with hoasca consumption, particularly with respect to serotonergic functions, since the hoasca alkaloids primarily affect functions mediated by this neurotransmitter. Ideally, such a study could be carried out on post-mortem brains; since this was not possible, we settled on looking at serotonin transporter receptors in blood platelets, using [3H]-citalopram to label the receptors in binding assays. The up-or down regulation of peripheral platelet receptors is considered indicative of similar biochemical events occuring in the brain, although there is some controversy about the correlation between platelet receptor changes and changes in CNS receptors in patients receiving antidepressant medications (Stahl, 1977; Pletscher and Laubscher, 1980; Rotman, 1980);. However, platelet receptors were deemed suitable for the purposes of our study, as our objective was not to resolve this controversy but simply to determine if some kind of long-term biochemical marker could be identified. Neither did we postulate any conclusions about the possible "adverse" or "beneficial" implications of such a marker, if detected. We conducted the assays on platelets collected from the same group of 15 volunteers after they had abstained from consuming the tea for a period of one week. We also collected platelet specimens from the age-matched controls who were not hoasca drinkers. We were surprised to find a significant up-regulation in the density of the citalopram binding sites in the hoasca drinkers compared to control subjects. While the hoasca drinkers had a higher density of receptors, there was no change in the affinity of the receptors for the labelled citalopram. The significance of this finding, if any, is unclear. There is no other pharmacological agent which is known to cause a similar upregulation, although chronic administration of 5-HT uptake inhibitors has been reported to decrease both Bmax (the density of binding sites) and 5-HT transporter RNA in rats (Hrinda 1987; Lesch et al., 1993). Increases in Bmax for the uptake site in human platelets have been correlated with old age (Marazziti et al, 1989) and also to the dark phase of the circadian cycle in rabbits (Rocca et al., 1989). It has been speculated (Marazziti et al, 1989) that upregulation of 5-HT uptake sites in the aged may be related to the natural course of neuronal decline. Although our sample size was limited, we found no correlation with age, and the mean age of the sample was 38 years. Also, none of our subjects showed evidence of any neurological or psychiatric deficit. In fact, in view of their exceptionally healthy psychological profiles, one of the investigators speculated that perhaps the serotonergic upregulation is associated, not simply with age, but with "wisdom" -- a characteristic often found in the aged, and in many hoasca drinkers.Another interesting self-experiment related to this finding was carried out by one of the investigators, Jace Callaway, following his return to Finland after the field phase of the study was completed. Dr. Callaway has access to Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) scanning facilities in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Kuopio. Suspecting that the causative agent of the unexpected upregulation might be tetrahydroharmine (THH), Dr. Callaway took SPECT scans of his own brain 5-HT uptake receptors prior to beginning a six week course of daily dosing with tetrahydroharmine, repeating the scan after the treatment period. He did indeed find that the density of central 5-HT receptors in the prefrontal cortex had increased; when he discontinued THH, their density gradually returned to previous levels over the course of several weeks. While this experiment only had one subject, if it is indicative of a general effect of THH that can be replicated and confirmed, the implications are potentially significant. A severe deficit of 5-HT uptake sites in the frontal cortex has been found to be correlated with aggressive disorders in violent alcoholics; if THH is able to specifically reverse this deficit, it may have applications in the treatment of this syndrome. These findings are especially interesting when viewed in the context of the psychological data collected in the hoasca study (Grob, et al., 1996). The majority of the subjects had had a previous history of alcoholism, and many had displayed violent behavior in the years prior to joining the UDV; virtually all attributed their recovery and change in behavior to their use of hoasca tea in the UDV rituals. While it can be argued that their reformation was due to the supportive social and psychological environment found within the UDV, the finding of this long-term change in precisely the serotonin system that is deficient in violent alcoholism, argues that biochemical factors may also play a roleAssessment of the Acute Physiological Effects of Hoasca Tea (Callaway, et al., 1997)The major focus of the biochemical and physiological measurements carried out for the study was on the acute effects subsequent to consuming hoasca tea. One of the objectives was simply to measure the effects of hoasca on standard physiological functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and pupillary diameter, subsequent to ingestion. We found that all of these responses were well within normal parameters. Hoasca, not surprisingly, caused an increase in pupillary diameter from baseline (pre-dose) levels of 3.7 mm to approximately 4.7 mm at 40 minutes, which continued to 240 minutes after ingestion at which point measurements were discontinued. Breaths per minute fluctuated throughout the 240 minutes, from a low of 18.5 at baseline to a high of 23 breaths per minute at 100 minutes. Temperature rose from a baseline low of 37 ° C at baseline to a high of 37.3 ° C at 240 min (although the ambient temperature also increased comparably during the course of the experiments, which were conducted from 10:00 - 16:00). Heartrate increased from 71.9 bpm at baseline to a maximum of 79.3 bpm by 20 minutes, decreased to 64.5 bpm by 120 minutes, then gradually returned toward basal levels by 240 minutes. There was a concomitant increase in blood pressure; both systolic and diastolic pressure increased to maxima at 40 minutes (137.3 and 92.0 mm Hg respectively) over baseline values (126.3 and 82.7 mm Hg respectively) and returned to basal values by 180 minutes. We also measured nueroendocrine response for plasma prolactin, cortisol, and growth hormone; all showed rapid and dramatic increases over basal values from 60 minutes (cortisol) to 90 minutes (growth hormone) to 120 minutes (prolactin) after ingestion. The observed response, typical of serotonergic agonists, are comparable to the values reported by Strassman & Qualls (1994) in response to injected DMT. In our study, however, the response to oral DMT was delayed by a factor of four or five. Dr. Russell Poland, of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, carried out the neuroendocrine measurements. Characterization of the Pharmacokinetics of Hoasca Alkaloids in Human Subjects (Callaway, et al., 1996; 1997)The fourth objective of the study was to measure pharmacokinetic parameters of the hoasca alkaloids in plasma following ingestion of hoasca tea, and to correlate this to the amounts of alkaloids ingested. The UDV collaborators held a special "preparo" to prepare the sample of hoasca that was used forall subjects in the study. The mestres confirmed the activity in the usual manner, via ingestion, and pronounced it active and suitable for use in the study. Subsequent analysis by HPLC found the tea to contain, in mg/ml: harmine, 1.7; harmaline, 0.2; THH, 1.07; and DMT 0.24. Each subject received an aliquot of tea equivalent to 2 ml/kg body weight, which was consumed in a single draught. Based on the average body weight (74.2 ± 11.3 kg), the average dose of tea was 148.4 ± 22.6 ml, containing an average of 35.5 mg DMT, 158.8 mg THH, 29.7 mg harmaline, and 252.3 mg harmine. These doses are above the threshold level of activity for DMT as a psychedelic, and for harmine and THH as MAO inhibitors; harmaline is essentially a trace constituent of hoasca tea (Callaway, et al., 1996, 1997).Only 12 of the 15 volunteers had sufficient plasma levels of DMT to permit pharmacokinetic measurements, possibly due to early emesis during the course of the session. Of these, the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) (15.8 ng/ml) occurred at 107 minutes after ingestion, while the half-life (T1/2 was 259 minutes. THH was measured in 14 of the 15 subjects; the Cmax was 91 ng/ml, reached at 174 min. This compound displayed a prolonged half-life of 532 minutes, in contrast to harmine which had a half-life of 115.6 min. The Cmax for harmine and harmaline was 114.8 and 6.3 ng/ml, respectively, and time of maximum concentration (Tmax) was 102 and 145 minutes, respectively. The T1/2 for harmaline could not be measured (Callaway, et al.,1997).In many ways this study was conceived because of the need to collect some basic data on the physiological and pharmacokinetic characteristics of hoasca, since none had existed previously. The conclusions to be drawn from the results, if any, are interesting and potentially significant, particularly in that these findings may offer a physiological rationale for the marked improvements in psychological health that is correlated with long-term hoasca use. Not surprisingly, the highest plasma concentrations of DMT correlated with the most intense subjective effects; however, the psychological measurement (Hallucinogen Rating Scale) indicated that comparable plasma levels of injected DMT in Strassman & Qualls (1994) study were more intense than the effects reported from the hoasca tea. One possible explanation is that THH, by acting as a 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, may have resulted in a greater availability of 5-HT at the synapse, and this may have competed with DMT for occupancy at serotonergic synapses. Another point worthy of remark is that the activity of THH in hoasca is apparently more a function of its inhibition of 5-HT uptake than to its action as an MAOI. THH is a poor MAOI compared to harmine (EC50= 1.4 x 10-5 M vs 8 x 10-8 M for harmine), and while the plasma levels for harmine are well above the EC50 values, those for THH are well below the EC50 value for this compound as an MAOI.Future StudiesThe major objectives of the initial biomedical investigation of hoasca have been met, including the overall objective, that of developing a basic body of descriptive information on the physiological and psychopharmacological characteristics of the tea. These investigations have laid the groundwork that will enable future studies to focus on specific areas of interest. It seems clear that ayahuasca is relatively safe; it can be taken, on a regular schedule, for months or even years without producing any adverse effect; indeed, all of our subjects were highly functional individuals who attribute much of their "coping" skills to the tea and the lessons it has taught them, albiet within the doctrinal context of the UDV. None of them showed any signs of physical disease, or neurological or psychological deficits, indeed, many had higher scores in some of the psychometric testing regimes than comparable control subjects who had never imbibed hoasca. Yet many questions remain, and it is to be hoped that future investigations will be done, and that some of the most relevant questions will be at least partially answered. Among areas which suggest themselves for future research, the following seem obvious: Effect of hoasca on women, particularly pregnant and/or lactating women. For simplicity's sake, our initial study included only male subjects who had imbibed the tea on a regular basis for at least ten years. Thus our sample was deliberately restricted; it included only experienced, male hoasca drinkers, just to minimize the number of variables. But women also drink hoasca, and moreover, most do so throughout pregnancy and lactation; indeed, children in the UDV are baptized with a tiny spoonful of hoasca, although they are not usually exposed to pharmacologically active amounts until at least age 13. There are many issues here worthy of study. For example, women claim that hoasca has positive benefits both in managing their pregnancy, and in assisting birth; many will take hoasca during labor to facilitate the process. The role of hoasca during pregnancy and lactation, whether adverse or positive, is just one of a score of questions which could be answered by followup studies using women hoasca drinkers.Prospective studies, with children and new members. For similar reasons, our study did not include any recent converts to the UDV, nor any children, who, if they choose, are allowed to attend UDV sessions and imbibe smaller amounts of hoasca as early as age 13. Nor did the study include any recent adult converts to the UDV. Clearly, prospective studies of both groups could add a great deal to our knowledge. In view of our finding that hoasca apparently brings about long-term increases in serotonin uptake receptor densities, the implications of this need to be further investigated, and prospective studies may clarify this question. For instance, is the increase in serotonin uptake sites a consequence of regular imbibition of hoasca, as would seem the obvious conclusion, or are hoasca drinkers as a group biased toward those who are predisposed toward naturally high receptor densities? And what are the implications of either finding? Similar questions, as well as a host of sociological and developmental questions, could be addressed in a prospective study of children of UDV members who remain in the group and start to imbibe hoasca regularly in adolescence. An obvious question to answer in this context would be an assessement of children and adolescents who were exposed to hoasca in utero, to determine the impact, if any, of prenatal hoasca exposure on their subsequent neurological and psychological development. Another question germane to the possible long-term health benefits of regular hoasca use is that of whether the practice might prove to be prophylactic against alcohol and drug misuse for adolescents who consume the tea within the UDV structure. Brain imaging and electrophysiological studies. To the degree that facilities can be made available, brain imaging and electrophysiological studies of the acute and chronic effects of hoasca would further fill in the picture of its pharmacological characteristics. Therapeutic applications of hoasca in treatment of alcoholism and other forms of substance misuse. The experience of UDV members, recounted in the structured "life-story" interviews, would seem to indicate that hoasca has real potential as a therapeutic agent in treating substance misuse and/or alcoholism as well as other psychopathologies. Most of the subjects interviewed were involved with substance misuse prior to joining the UDV, and have since ceased. Most attribute their recovery to the tea; it would seem that confirmation of their experience and further information could be collected relatively easily, perhaps through a prospective study using recent converts to the UDV with prior involvement with substance misuse or other addictive disorders. Immunomodulatory effects of hoasca. Another parameter that could be easily assessed, that may have important implications for the long-term health effects of hoasca, is the question of its possible effects on the immune system. Hoasca may be an immunostimulant, and thus potentially beneficial in maintaining resistance to disease; on the other hand, it could be an immunosuppressant, and this would also have serious implications for long-term or frequent use. Although hoasca tea is customarily used as a ritual sacrament rather than a medicine, anecdotal reports suggesting that hoasca may facilitate recovery from serious illnesses such as cancer, and well-designed studies are needed to investigate this question. One possibility is that discontinuation of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs of misuse, as is common in UDV members, may contribute to long-term salutory effects on health. Prospective and epidemiological study of hoasca and Parkinson's disease. Earlier in this century, harmine, then known as banisterine, was investigated for its potential utility in the treatment of postencephalitic parkinsonism (Sanchez-Ramos, 1991). Despite some initially encouraging results in early clinical trials, further explorations of this promising pharmacotherapy were abandoned in the 1930's in favor of synthetic drugs, without really resolving the question of whether harmine may have some benefits as an anti-parkinson's agent. Both prospective and epidemiological studies of the incidence of parkinson's among UDV members, compared to the general population, could shed some light on the possible applications of harmine or other ß-carbolines in the treatment of parkinson's disease. SummaryAyahuasca, or hoasca, whether known by these names, or any of numerous other designations, has long been a subject of fascination to ethnographers, botanists, psychopharmacologists, and others with an interest in the many facets of the human relationship with, and use of, psychoactive plants. With its complex botanical, chemical, and pharmacological characteristics, and its position of prime importance in the ethnomedical and magico-religious practices of indigenous Amazonian peoples, the investigation of ayahuasca in its many aspects has been an impetus to the furtherence of our scientific understanding of the brain/mind interface, and of the role that psychoactive plant alkaloids have played, and continue to play, in the quest of the human spirit to discover and to understand its own trancendent nature.Now, the process which has unfolded in Western culture since Richard Spruce first reported on ayahuasca use among the Indians of the Norwthwest Amazon in 1855 (Anon, 1855; Spruce, 1873) has reached a new stage. Ayahuasca has emerged from the Amazonian jungles where it has remained cloaked in obscurity for thousands of years, to become the sacramental vehicle for new syncretic religious movements that are now diffusing from their center of origin in Brasil to Europe, the United States, and throughout the world. As the world observes this process unfolding (with joyous anticipation for some, and with considerable trepidation for others), the focus for the scientific study and understanding of ayahuasca has shifted from the ethnographer's field notes and the ethnobotanist's herbarium specimens, to the neurochemist's laboratory and the psychiatrist's examining room. With the completion of the first detailed biomedical investigation of ayahuasca, science now has the basic corpus of data needed to ask further questions, regarding the pharmacological actions, the toxicities and possible dangers, and the considerable potential ayahuasca has to heal the human mind, body, and spirit. 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To: NYC and NY State government
Add Greenspace to New York's Rooftops! We face three crises in New York right now. Bloomberg says that there's no money for recycling, dust from the WTC disaster endangers us all, and we're facing another hot summer with untrustworthy deregulated powerplants (Enron, anybody?) We can respond to all three at the same time. -Let's take organic debris and compost it. Mix it with shredded styrofoam and other city waste to make a lightweight soil (as demostrated by the Gaia Instute over ten years ago and tested many times since). -Put it into lightweight shallow planters made of locally recycled plastic. Seed the planters with drought-resistant species. -Put the planters on every rooftop that will take them. This gives us a use for our plastic waste for several years to come (some glass too as we'll explain later), gets particulate matter and other pollutants out of the air, and superinsulates the rooftops of New York buildings at almost no cost to building owners. Rooftops won't be stressed by this. The biggest stress on most city rooftops is upward pressure from wind. New York winds are so bad that last year NYU had pavers torn loose and scattered about the roof. So not only would the weight not be a problem (as long as the planters are designed properly) but they would cut down on maintenance costs. We know that plants can survive in New York without watering. Just look at any abandoned lot. It's just a matter of choosing the right species. Current rooftops are suited only to birds like pigeons. Planters of hardy perennials like English Ivy, Sedum, and beach grasses would create habitats for birds that need more gentle conditions and increase biodiversity. Materials would come from the city's waste stream so processing and transport are the only costs. Can anybody *really* show that this would be more expensive than having waste landfilled? In fact, one option would be to scatter flattened "pebbles" of waste glass and plastic over the soil, which would reduce evaporation and both summer and winter heat stresses on the plants. In countries like Switzerland and Japan rooftop greenspace is the law. They've found that covering buildings with flora makes environmental and business sense. Here in New York programs like Materials for the Arts and Greenthumb show how well city government can execute when they get the chance. Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, we, the undersigned ask that instead of throwing up your hands and calling New York's problems unaddressable, or even worse, counting on the circus down in Washington to help, take action. Initiate a program to turn our garbage into gardens and give us the first skyline in America to mix skyscrapers with skymeadows.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned

Freddy goes for Bloomy's throat

2005-10-31T12:33:00.000-05:00

gotham news
BY MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Looking directly at Mayor Bloomberg and scoffing, "I don't know what city you're living in," underdog Democratic challenger Fernando Ferrer went on the attack yesterday in the candidates' first debate.
Bloomberg met Ferrer's combativeness on issues ranging from education to housing to the economy with cool confidence, throwing few punches of his own and, at times, barely responding to his rival's charges.
Ferrer, who is desperately trying to deflate the mayor's 31-point poll lead with the election just over a week away, took every opportunity yesterday to chip away at the billionaire incumbent's multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign and link Bloomberg to the national GOP.
Ferrer ridiculed the mayor's representatives to the MTA as "potted plants," repeatedly rebuked Bloomberg for chasing the Olympic Games and the West Side stadium, and accused Hizzoner of ignoring the high dropout rate in the city schools.
"Mike Bloomberg thinks everything's going just great in this town, and for some it is, but for millions of others it isn't," he said. "There are two New Yorks.
"I know that very well because I've lived in both," said Ferrer, invoking the controversial "two New Yorks" theme that he first raised in his 2001 campaign.
"I'm running for mayor so that millions of others can cross over that very same bridge I did."
Bloomberg portrayed himself as a bipartisan leader who made "tough decisions" after 9/11 and produced a strong record of accomplishment.
"I'm independent. I'm not beholden to anybody," he said. "I'm proud of what we've accomplished. We've brought crime down. We've improved test scores. We've made life expectancy in this city longer than the country as a whole."
The most dynamic moment of the one-hour debate, co-sponsored by the Daily News, occurred in response to a question about a spike in the number of shootings in the city.
Taking a rare swipe at Ferrer, Bloomberg questioned his opponent's record on gun control and chided him for campaigning with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
"Let's talk about Mike Bloomberg's support of the [Republican] party and the President whose policies have hurt this city," Ferrer retorted.
"Not on this policy, I didn't," snapped Bloomberg, referring to gun control.
Pointing at the mayor, Ferrer said, "You have supported right-wing politicians. ... You can't have it both ways."
Then he turned to face Bloomberg, and charged, "You can't disclaim responsibility for the policies you politically and financially support."
"I'm going to go and fight for the city, Freddy, and I can't have everybody in Washington vote for everything I like," Bloomberg replied. "I wish they would. But they don't."
Talking over the mayor, Ferrer insisted, "You could do this city a big favor sometimes by putting your checkbook away."
On the issues, the duo offered very different policy visions:
Despite a budget deficit estimated at $4.5 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1, Bloomberg said he expected the the city would get through the year "without any tax increases or fee increases."
Ferrer said he would cut taxes and slammed Bloomberg's 18.5% property tax hike.
Bloomberg, who closed six fire companies in 2003, refused to rule out closing others. Ferrer said he would reopen four of the six "immediately."
The former Bronx borough president vowed yesterday to set aside 10% of city-funded apartments for the homeless. Bloomberg said he would have to study the issue further before making such a commitment, but noted the number of homeless is decreasing in the city.
While policy issues dominated the debate, Ferrer - running in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 5-to-1 - turned back time and time again to the mayor's party affiliation. "Are you proud of George Bush?" he asked the mayor.
"I agree with him on some things. I disagree with him on others," Bloomberg said. "We have to have a bipartisan approach. ... You've got to work with everybody."
It was the first of two mayoral debates. The next is tomorrow at 7 p.m. on Channel 4. Originally published on October 30, 2005

Arts Groups Pessimistic Over Prospects for Culture Downtown

2005-10-31T12:16:00.000-05:00

gotham news

By ROBIN POGREBIN
Published: October 31, 2005
For downtown arts groups struggling with the void left by the 9/11 attacks, a 2002 "blueprint for renewal" seemed full of promise. Drafted by the agency in charge of rebuilding in Lower Manhattan, it pledged to develop "a critical mass of dynamic, enticing and diverse cultural venues" there.
The agency, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, also promised to help cultural institutions in the area - and those that might be thinking of relocating downtown - to find the sites and the money they would need to expand or move.
Three years later, the development corporation has accomplished practically none of the above. The number of cultural groups, including libraries, below Canal Street now, according to the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, a nonprofit advocacy organization, has plummeted to 112, from 200 before 9/11. The $45 million that the development corporation set aside last May for cultural groups that are not part of the master plan at ground zero has yet to be distributed.
Tom Healy, the president of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, expressed frustration over the delay. "Nothing has happened," he said. "There is no plan. There is no group that's been chosen to help them give that out yet. And it would make a huge difference now, that kind of money."
Given the gradual evaporation of planned cultural organizations at the ground zero site itself, many downtown arts groups are pessimistic.
The Freedom Center was dropped from the site last month by Gov. George E. Pataki in response to objections from the families of some 9/11 victims who wanted a strictly patriotic memorial focus; the Drawing Center, which had sought to relocate from SoHo, was forced out for similar reasons. Both had been chosen in June 2004 to share a museum building designed by the Norwegian firm Snohetta.
"We're all pretty upset about it," said Holly Block, the executive director of Art in General, an alternative art space on Walker Street. "It's very problematic that it's been politicized."
Contributing to the bleak picture, a performing arts center that was to be designed for the ground zero site by Frank Gehry and shared by the Joyce Theater, which presents dance, and the Signature Theater, an Off Broadway company, is on the back burner. And Anita Contini, the point person for culture on the development corporation, resigned from that post in July and is unlikely to be replaced.
While many arts groups have stuck it out downtown and several are trying to upgrade their operations, all say they could use more help. Three-Legged Dog, a media and theater group, has been struggling since Tower 7 fell on its headquarters at 30 West Broadway. The company cut its staff from 27 to 2, suspended salaries for nine months and stopped production for a year and a half.
The group decided that the route to survival was building a new home. It has managed to raise $3 million toward a $4.6 million arts complex, now under construction at 80 Greenwich Street. But there is still $1.6 million to go.
Three-Legged Dog said it had asked the development corporation for help but never heard back. "We've had a request to them for about three years now," said Kevin Cunningham, the company's executive artistic director.
Members of Dance New Amsterdam, a nonprofit dance service organization, say they asked the development corporation for $1 million two years ago but also never received any response. "I think everyone is so discouraged about L.M.D.C.," said Charles D. Wright, the group's executive director. Still, the dance group managed to raise $4.5 million over the last few years for a new 25,000-square-foot space, now under construction at 280 Broadway in the Sun building. Such arts groups have managed to endure mostly through contributions from various foundations, individuals and local downtown groups, like the cultural council, which was given $5 million from the Sept. 11 Fund to distribute in the first three years after 9/11. "With the cultural plan stalled at ground zero, it's all the more important that the rest of what goes on culturally gets supported," Mr. Healy said.
The development corporation has been noticeably absent from this effort, arts groups say. "They've said all along that they are going to be helping people in the neighborhood," said Mr. Cunningham of 3-Legged Dog.
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A Funeral Home Investigation Considers the Macabre

2005-10-31T12:10:00.000-05:00

gotham news

By MICHAEL BRICK
Published: October 31, 2005
Investigators are pursuing a criminal inquiry involving macabre dealings in mortuaries and unseemly sales of flesh and bone.
Investors in a Brooklyn funeral home have told the police that they suspect an embalmer improperly removed body parts. The embalmer had connections to a dentist whose business, Biomedical Tissue Services of Fort Lee, N.J., sold human tissue to processing companies, a legitimate but poorly understood niche of medical science. The police quietly pursued the investigation for more than a year until it was disclosed in newspapers this month.
Now investigators are following an abundance of leads from people identifying themselves as relatives of victims, a law enforcement official said, adding that no charges had been filed and no grand jury convened. The federal Food and Drug Administration has warned the public that Biomedical Tissue Services may have obtained tissue without getting proper consent from donors or screening the tissue for disease, and that some of that tissue may have been implanted in patients. Law enforcement officials spoke on condition of anonymity because there have been no charges and the investigation is unfinished.
The notion of a clandestine human chop shop has attracted some of the familiar characters of New York scandal. Sanford Rubenstein, the lawyer best known for representing the Rev. Al Sharpton and Abner Louima, went before five television cameras to announce a civil lawsuit on behalf of a man who said that tissue had been taken from his father's body. Mr. Rubenstein said that he was also taking calls from other people who were making similar claims.
The case's origins trace to a complicated disagreement over the sale of a funeral home in Brooklyn.
A couple operating the funeral home approached the police and prosecutors more than a year ago with accusations of fraud, an investigator and the law enforcement official said. An offhand remark developed into an accusation that the embalmer was returning bodies with parts missing, and the embalmer's business connections to the dentist led to questions about the possibility of sales of improperly obtained tissue.
Since the investigation was disclosed in The Daily News on Oct. 7, its twists and turns have given tabloid editors occasion to design headlines with the words "ghouls," "ghoulish" and "harvest" and the phrase "Body-Snatch Probe Widens."
Tales of stolen body parts are timelessly resonant, tied to the sanctity of dying and fear of the unknown. The 1978 movie "Coma," directed by Michael Crichton, told a fictional story of doctors stealing organs from patients. For years, the State Department has sought to dispel rumors of an international trade in baby organs, distributing materials that quote the French folklorist Veronique Campion-Vincent: "The baby-parts story is a new - updated and technologized - version of an immemorial fable."
Two central themes of the New York story have drawn scrutiny in recent years. In 2002, oversight of the funeral industry was much discussed after the discovery of 280 bodies dumped in the woods near a Georgia crematory. And last year, the underground market for body parts was underscored by a scandal at the University of California, Los Angeles, where an employee was accused of conspiring to sell body parts.
Experts say the nature of these fears is evolving as advances in technology make more parts of the body useful and consequently valuable. An area of medical science once mostly limited to whole vital organs like hearts, livers and kidneys has expanded to include muscle, bone, tendon and skin used in therapies and research.
And an aging population with the resources to pay for health care options has increased demand, said Doug Wilson, vice president of LifeNet, a nonprofit organ donation and tissue banking system in Virginia Beach, Va.
"This story has been written with different players - the names are now changed - over the last 10 years," Mr. Wilson said. "There's more use of tissue today because orthopedic and neurosurgery are increasing because baby boomers are getting older. They want to remain active and golf and play tennis and jog five miles and keep their cholesterol levels down."
As the industry has grown, the possibility of infection from diseased tissue has become a concern. A galvanizing case was the death in 2001 of Brian Lykins, 23, who received tainted tissue during knee surgery in Minnesota. In May, the Food and Drug Administration enacted safety standards for tissue processors, governing labeling, packaging and distribution.
That agency is one of several investigating the New York case. Law enforcement officials and representatives of people involved in the inquiry say the case can be traced to the sale of the Daniel George & Son Funeral Home in Bensonhurst. Records in Kings County Supreme Court show that Daniel George Jr. signed an agreement in March 2002 to sell the home to Joseph Nicelli of Staten Island.
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Telefonica of Spain Announces Takeover

2005-10-31T08:02:00.000-05:00

gotham news
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 31, 2005
Filed at 6:03 a.m. ET
LONDON (AP) -- Telefonica SA of Spain announced Monday that it has agreed to buy the mobile phone company O2 PLC in a 17.7 billion-pound ($31.4 billion) cash deal that it said would help expand its presence in two of Europe's largest markets, the U.K. and Germany.
Peter Erskine, chief executive of O2, said two companies operated in different geographical areas and that was a strong reason for recommending the deal.
''It's ... good for customers. They have no overlapping territory, so they will be able to offer our customers better roaming and better services around the world,'' Erskine told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.
''Finally, it's very good for our people. Because there's no overlapping territories, we can really build on what we've got, as opposed to having to integrate and rationalize jobs.''
The deal follows Telefonica's 2.75 billion euro (US$3.32) acquisition of a majority stake in Czech operator Cesky Telekom earlier this year as it expands in Europe.
Telefonica agreed to pay 200 pence (euro2.94; US$3.55) per share, a 22 percent premium over O2's closing price on Friday. Shares in O2 gained 28 percent to 204 pence (euro3.00; US$3.62) in trading Monday on the London Stock Exchange.
O2 and its subsidiaries provide service to nearly 25 million customers in Britain, Ireland and Germany, where the company says it is the fastest-growing mobile telephone operator. O2 was created in 1971 from the mobile telephone operation of BT PLC, Britain's largest telecommunications company.
Erskine said the deal could be completed by January or February if shareholders approve.
Telefonica had around 145 million customers in June and 173,000 employees.
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On the Net:
http://www.02.com
http://www.telefonica.com

The Roots of Hispanic

2005-10-29T13:09:00.000-04:00

gotham news
The Roots of 'Hispanic'1975 Committee of Bureaucrats Produced DesignationWashington Post Wednesday, October 15, 2003; Page A21 By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer During Hispanic Heritage Month, Grace Flores-Hughes did not dance at any galas, sit on any panels or receive any awards. And when the annual celebration ends today, the 57-year-old Mexican American will look back on another year of being forgotten. Hardly anyone knows that 28 years ago, Flores-Hughes and a handful of other Spanish-speaking federal employees helped make the decision that changed how people with mixed Spanish heritage would be identified in this country. In 1975, when Flores-Hughes was a baby-faced bureaucrat working for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, she sat on the highly contentious Ad Hoc Committee on Racial and Ethnic Definitions. "We chose the word 'Hispanic,' " she said proudly in a recent interview. The choice resounded throughout the federal government, including at the Office of Management and Budget, which placed the word on census forms for the first time in 1980. But the decision touched off a debate in the wider community over whether "Latino" should have been the designated term, and that debate still rages. Flores-Hughes, a federal appointee who lives in Alexandria, does not engage in it. She is more concerned with setting the record straight.
"People keep saying that Richard Nixon is the reason why we're called 'Hispanic,' " she said. "And I think, 'Where did they get that from?' " But no one can be blamed for not knowing. Few records survive to document the committee's existence or its work. A search of the federal Education Resources Information Center yielded a single report that includes a list of members and the chairman, Charles Johnson of the Census Bureau. Even former representative Robert Garcia (D-N.Y.), who worked diligently for a "Hispanic" designation in those days, said, "I didn't know the committee existed." The story of how the term came to be embraced by government is more important than ever, Flores-Hughes said, because it is crucial to the debate over whether to identify people as "Hispanic" or "Latino," a debate that vexes the Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed community and non-Hispanic Americans with connections to it. "Latino" refers to the Latin-based Romance languages of Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. The term embraces Portuguese-speaking Brazilians in a way that the word "Hispanic" does not."Hispanic" is an American derivation from "Hispaña," the Spanish- language term for the cultural diaspora created by Spain. That diaspora is the result of a bygone age of conquest, which disturbs many of the people who prefer "Latino.""For us Spaniards, there's always a very strong link to the Spanish-speaking people across the Atlantic," said Javier Ruperez, the Spanish ambassador to the United States. "They are part of the Spanish family."Ruperez said he understands that people who prefer "Latino" "want to follow their own path. But it hurts. I think it's untrue to say that 'Hispanic' reflects imperialism. Our history is a part of human history. Empires come and go."Abdin Noboa-Rios, a member of the ad hoc committee, said some members wanted to use the Spanish-language term "Hispano," but were overruled by others who felt that "Hispanic" would be less confusing, even though it is rarely used outside the United States. A survey by the Pew Hispanic Center and Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation last year found that a majority of Hispanics and Latinos -- 53 percent -- have no preference for either term. An overwhelming majority prefer to identify themselves by national origin. But among those who listed a preference, "Hispanic" was widely favored. Activists, however, assert that "Latino" is fast becoming the favored term, as students, intellectuals and scholars refer to it almost exclusively in their works.Flores-Hughes said those activists wrongly insist that "Hispanic" was thrust on them by white bureaucrats who knew very little about their culture. Members of the ad hoc committee said it was hastily formed early in 1975, after educators of Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican and Native American descent stormed out of a meeting called to discuss a report at the Federal Interagency Committee on Education. The group never got around to discussing the report, on the education of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans and Indians. They were livid over how it wrongly identified certain groups. As Flores-Hughes put it, "they came ready for bear."Caspar W. Weinberger, secretary of Health, Education and Welfare at the time, knew he had a problem. He ordered that a committee be convened to solve the identity matter for good.The committee included African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Caucasians and Native Americans, in addition to Latinos. During the year they met, arguments erupted over now-outdated terms such as "colored" and "Oriental." But the most contentious arguments took place in the group that blended Spanish and English. It included Flores-Hughes of HEW, Philip (Felipe) Garcia of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Noboa- Rios of the National Institute of Education and Paul Planchon of the Office of Management and Budget."There was never any consensus in that group to the very end," said Noboa-Rios, who preferred the term "Latino" and still does. "We came up with an agreement, but . . . there were some bad feelings. I know two people who didn't speak for up to a year after it was over."Noboa-Rios said he agreed to "Hispanic," because "we had to transcend labels. For the purposes of the census it was important to know who we were, because we were an underrepresented population."He remembered Flores-Hughes, but vaguely. Her name was Grace Flores then, and she was 26 years old. She was a low-level employee in the Special Concerns section of HEW, with only a high school education, serving on her first board."I was like a little kid involved in every aspect of the office," she said. Flores-Hughes went on to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of the District of Columbia and a master's in public administration from Harvard University. She now lectures on managing a culturally diverse workforce in the public/private sector and serves as an appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.Flores-Hughes grew up in Taft, Tex., not far from Corpus Christi. Her grandfather regaled her with stories about serving in the army of Pancho Villa. He was originally from Spain, she said, and his family moved to Mexico."I was called a 'wetback,' a 'Mexkin' and a 'dirty Mexkin,' " she said. "In public school, I had to be careful what I said. If I spoke Spanish, they would send me home for three days." Her driver's license identified her as Latin American.That was going through her mind when arguments were raging on the committee.
" 'Hispanic' was better than anything I had been called as a kid," she said.
"Latino," she said, would have included Italians, so she would not endorse it. And "Spanish surname" would have given protection to people who had never been discriminated against, she said. Besides, she said, not everyone in the Spanish diaspora has a Spanish-sounding name.
"It was hard eliminating all those terms," she said. "I felt alone. But I was determined to stick to 'Hispanic.' We kept going back to Spain. We couldn't get away from it." © 2003 The Washington Post Company

New York State Government Affairs

2005-10-27T20:03:00.000-04:00

gotham news

New York State Government Affairs
Your voice in New YorkWelcome to the New York State Issues and Government Affairs site. As your voice in New York, we represent the high-tech industry and have an positive impact on the issues that can affect your business. If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our NY Government Affairs Committee, email Justin Wright, Executive Director or call 518.427.0963.
Government and Public Policy Sites of Interest
AeA's Online Advocacy Software - Make your voice heard and learn more about your federal, state, and local elected Oregon officials by the click of a button.
Empire State Development - includes information on how New York has changed, it's strengths, etc.
New York State Assembly - includes information on legislature, reports, committees, press releases, etc.
State of New York - includes information on government agencies, economy, education, etc.
The Whitehouse - includes information on The President and Vice President, commonly requested Federal Services, press releases, etc.
U.S. House of Representatives - includes information on House Operations, Member's Offices, Commissions, Task Forces, etc.
U.S. Senate - includes Senators, Committees. Legislative Activities, etc.

Investigation of Towers' Fall Is Criticized

2005-10-27T12:26:00.000-04:00

gotham news
By ERIC LIPTON
Published: October 27, 2005
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 - The three-year federal investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center failed to sufficiently identify specific changes needed in building codes to ensure that skyscrapers and other tall buildings can better handle a future terrorist attack or even a more routine emergency, members of Congress said Wednesday.

As a result, said Republicans and Democrats on the House Science Committee, the efforts to improve skyscraper safety in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack are moving far too slowly, a situation that they say the federal government and those in charge of establishing national building codes have a moral obligation to correct.
"A lot of people are impatient, understandably," said Representative Sherwood Boehlert, Republican of central New York, the chairman of the committee. "And a lot of people want action as quickly as possible."
The criticism emerged at a hearing during which the National Institute of Standards and Technology formally released its final report on the collapse of the twin towers, a $16 million study that has produced more than 10,000 pages of findings detailing exactly why the towers were able to stand after being hit by planes, but ultimately collapsed.
The study, which used computers to meticulously reconstruct the attack and the resulting fires and structural damage, also examined the evacuation of the towers and the response by the New York City Fire Department and other emergency personnel.
The report includes 30 recommendations for improving building safety, including requiring more-reliable emergency-communications systems and wider stairwells or more robustly built elevators that can be used during catastrophic emergencies to evacuate towers.
But the recommendations are not detailed enough, or sufficiently documented, to be rapidly incorporated into standard building code publications that local and state governments use to guide them in drafting local codes, the members of Congress said. Some of the code-writing officials present at the House hearing Wednesday agreed.
"N.I.S.T. has fallen short of making this a true reference manual for the protection of big buildings," said Representative Anthony D. Weiner, Democrat of Brooklyn and Queens.
Despite the calls to rapidly adopt many of the recommended changes, it was also clear on Wednesday that many of the provisions would face intense opposition. The Building Owners and Managers Association International, a Washington-based group that represents the real estate industry, submitted a statement to the House committee strongly objecting to many of the proposed safety improvements.
"This recommendation is just too costly to implement," says the letter to Representative Boehlert, objecting to a proposed requirement that tall buildings have black-box-like devices so investigators can better understand how a fire or other event unfolded. "How many building collapses have there been, ever?"
William Jeffrey, the institute's director, told the committee that he agreed that his agency must do more to help code-writing organizations like the International Code Council and the National Fire Protection Association adopt the recommended changes. Under questioning, he agreed that by March, he would prepare actual language for possible code amendments that will be submitted to the International Code Council.
Past investigations by the institute into damage caused by hurricanes in Florida and the collapse of an apartment building in Connecticut in 1987 resulted in tougher building code and inspection requirements, he said.
"We will do everything possible to add the World Trade Center investigation to this list," he said.
Mr. Jeffrey emphasized that the institute's recommendations - ranging from backup water supplies for fire sprinklers to a requirement that towers be built so that fires can burn out of control until they run out of fuel and still not threaten a building's structural integrity - are intended to make buildings safer in a variety of possible emergencies.
But central to the debate over any possible code changes will be consideration of how widespread the new requirements should be, leaders of the code-writing groups and some members of Congress said.
"Why on earth would you expect the Landmark Center on Six Forks Road in Raleigh to have the same standards, preparation against terrorist attack, as the John Hancock Center would have?" asked Representative Brad Miller, Democrat from North Carolina, referring to his old six-story law office building in North Carolina and the iconic tower in Chicago. "It has got to be a balance of cost against risk."
Building code officials said the full array of recommendations made by the institute would most likely add a few percent to the cost of designing and building new towers. But so far, officials of the institute have not recommended which buildings might merit having the more stringent requirements.
Even without consensus on many of the recommendations, several code organizations have amended their standards to incorporate safety elements sought by the institute.
The National Fire Protection Association, for instance, incorporated a provision that requires wider stairwells in buildings with more than 2,000 people. And last year, New York City wrote some of these skyscraper safety provisions into its building code.
Nancy McNabb, director of government affairs for the National Fire Protection Association, said all of the code-writing groups recognize that the lessons from the World Trade Center could not be forgotten.
"To learn nothing and do nothing would be delinquent," she said, a remark that Representative Boehlert then repeated, word for word.

Engineers Report Breakthrough in Laser Beam Technology

2005-10-26T19:36:00.000-04:00

gotham news
By JOHN MARKOFF
Published: October 26, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 26 - A team of Stanford electrical engineers has discovered how to modulate, or switch on and off, a beam of laser light up to a 100 billion times a second with materials that are widely used in the semiconductor industry.
The group used a standard chip-making process to design a key component of optical networking gear potentially more than 10 times faster than the highest-performance commercial products available today.
The team reported its discovery in the current issue of Nature, which was published on Wednesday. Such an advance could have broad applications both in accelerating the already declining cost of optical networking and in potentially transforming computers in the future by making it possible to interconnect computer chips at extremely high data rates.
Currently, the communications industry uses costly equipment to transmit data over optical fibers at up to 10 billion bits per second. However, researchers are already experimenting with optically linked computers in which components may be located on different sides of the globe. Cheap optical switches will also make it possible to create data superhighways inside computers, making it possible to reorganize them for better performance.
"The vision here is that, with the much stronger physics, we can imagine large numbers - hundreds or even thousands - of optical connections off of chips," said David A.B. Miller, director of the Solid State and Photonics Laboratory at Stanford University. "Those large numbers could get rid of the bottlenecks of wiring, bottlenecks that are quite evident today and are one of the reasons the clock speeds on your desktop computer have not really been going up much in recent years."
The modulator, or solid-state shutter, reported by the team, could also have a dramatic effect on the telecommunications industry, which is already being transformed by the falling cost of optical fiber networks.
The device, which is constructed from silicon and germanium, would alternately block and transmit light from a separate continuous wave laser beam, making it possible to split the beam into a stream of ones and zeros.
The effect, known as a Quantum-Confined Stark Effect, or QCSE, has been previously demonstrated, but was not expected in the germanium, a material that is compatible with the industry's silicon-based manufacturing technologies.
The Stark Effect allows materials to act as shutters for particular wavelengths of light as an electrical field is switched on and off. In the past, however, the effect has been achieved in optoelectronic applications by using exotic materials like gallium Aarsenide, which are not easily compatible with standard chip-making techniques.
"What we achieved is somewhat surprising," said James S. Harris, a Stanford University electrical engineering professor, who is a member of the research group. "No one thought it would work."
The research project was supported both by the Intel Corporation and by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Intel has been intensely interested in the possibility of designing optical communications components with standard chip-making tools, both for networking and computer communications applications. Theodore I. Kamins, a quantum materials specialist at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, also contributed to the research effort.
"They've made a big leap," said Mario Paniccia, director of Intel's Photonics Technology Laboratory. That research group has made a number of announcements about progress in development of similar components that could lead to low-cost optical network systems in the future.
He acknowledged, however, that there is a significant gap between research results and commercial availability of devices based on scientific breakthroughs.
Other designers working in the field were also cautious about direct applications of the technology. Alex Dickenson, chief executive of Luxtera, a Carlsbad, Calif. start-up firm that announced a 10-billion bit per second optical modulator using a different silicon-based approach earlier this year, said that he believed there would significant hurdles to the commercialization of the Stanford discovery.
He cautioned that while the display was interesting from an academic perspective, the researchers had yet to prove that the effect works at the standard frequencies of light used by the telecommunications industry.
Several industry executives said the advance was significant because it meant that optical data networks were now on the same Moore's Law curve of increasing performance and falling cost that has driven the computer industry for the past four decades. In 1965, the Intel co-founder Gordon Moore noted that the number of transistors that could be placed on a silicon chip was doubling at regular intervals. The semiconductor industry has held to that rate of change since then, giving rise to the modern era of microelectronics that has transformed the global economy.
Now that rate of change could be directing the future of the telecommunications industry. Computer and communications industry executives believe that advancements in inexpensive optical networks will transform the computer industry and other major industries ranging from the financial marketplace to Hollywood.
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My Everything

2005-10-23T19:00:00.000-04:00

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By IGON L. as told to ELLEN LAMMERS
Published: October 23, 2005
I always thought it would be bullets that would kill me, or a land mine - but now it's this disease, a silent enemy. War and AIDS often go together, I suppose.
It is painful to be in a hospital in a foreign country. I am here in Kampala, in Uganda, because I escaped the civil war in my homeland of Sudan. I participated in this war for many years. Leaving it was difficult, and dangerous too - desertion is treason. But I had to leave.
When I was young, living in Sudan, I had so many dreams. I wanted to go to university. But when I was about 17, Shariah was introduced by the Arab government, and all education in the Christian south changed from English to Arabic. My chance for further education was over. I became active in student protests, but these were violently suppressed, and I saw only one alternative. I left my town and went to the bush to join the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Like many of my fellow students, I wanted to fight for my right to education.
When I first fought on the front line, I was scared but also excited. We believed we were liberating the people of southern Sudan from oppression by the northern Arab government. We imagined that in time we would help reconstruct our country and recover the opportunities we had lost.
But to be honest, I barely understood. I did not know this war was also about oil, and race, and big men with big egos. My childhood had been so protected. I was the last-born of 13 children and spoiled by my sisters. Then there I was, a teenage soldier taught to chant: "This gun, this Kalashnikov, is my mother, my food, my everything, including my wife!" It was intoxicating.
We followed orders and killed with pride. But also out of revenge for all the friends we lost - comrades with whom we sang songs in the evening and who were dead the next day. Random killing is against the values of my culture, but I was young and made to believe it was a normal thing.
Then, after more than eight years of fighting, one battle left me severely wounded. As a result, I was assigned to be a radio operator. It was then that I began to see things differently. I came to denounce the unnecessary killings, the personal ambitions of commanders for which whole villages suffered. And I deeply regretted my part in all this.
One day I refused orders, and that night they came for me. I was asleep in my tent. Three officers arrested me and took me to prison. I was interrogated and beaten. But I was lucky. One of the guards knew me and helped me escape. He knew I was scheduled to be executed. On that morning, he escorted me for a bath in a stream and let me go. I walked through the forest up to the Ugandan border.
That is how I ended up here. It has been more than five years. Five years of relying on the whims of charity, of scraping a living for my wife and young children, who eventually managed to follow me out here. Civilian life proves hard.
In January, after 22 years of fighting, peace was signed with the Arab government. But all Sudanese wonder whether this peace will hold. The soldiers gave much of their lives, and they demand returns: they want land, authority, money to feed their wives and educate their children. I pray they will not fight again. The problem is, guns are everywhere. In Sudan, you don't need to go looking for guns: they come and look for you.
I feel sad that people in the West never talked about our war - don't they know that all these years their governments put big money into it? Then again, we in Africa still need to learn to speak of this dreadful disease. My wife is afraid to tell her family that we have AIDS. I blame myself. She was dishonored by enemy soldiers, like so many village women who stayed behind while their men were fighting.
I feel as if an army of warrior ants has swept through my body. My legs can barely carry me. My hair is gone. But I haven't given up hope. The doctors are kind, and they assure me I still have a chance. That's if they manage to get me medication.
If I'm still alive in, say, November, I will go back to Sudan. I'm no longer with the military, no longer with politics, but I will stand with my people. Meanwhile I'm determined to use this time to tape some of my memories. So many children in Sudan don't know anything about their parents. Sometimes I wish I could send my children back into the womb of their mother, but I can't. I want them to at least remember my voice.
Igom L. died in July. To protect his family, he is identified here by his first name and last initial. This essay is adapted from interviews conducted with him in Uganda between July 1999 and May 2005 by Ellen Lammers, a medical anthropologist based at the University of Amsterdam
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Saanen Goats

2005-10-22T19:46:00.000-04:00

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The Saanen dairy goat originated in Switzerland.
It is medium to large in size with rugged bone and plenty of vigor.
Does should be feminine, however and not coarse.
Saanens are white or light cream in color, with white preferred.
Spots on the skin are not discriminated against.
Small spots of color on the hair are allowable, but not desirable.
The hair should be short and fine, although a fringe over the spine and thighs is often present. Ears should be erect and alertly carried, preferably pointing forward.
The face should be straight or dished.
A tendency toward a Roman nose is discriminated against.
The Sable dairy goat is medium to large in size with rugged bone and plenty of vigor.
Does should be feminine, however, and not coarse.
Mature does must be at least 30 inches (76 cm) in height and weigh at last 135 pounds (61.36 kg).
Mature bucks must be at least 32 inches (81 cm) in height and weigh at least 170 pounds (77.27 kg).
Their hair is short; ears should be erect and alertly carried, preferably pointing forward.
The face should be straight or dished.
The Sable dairy goat, either purebred or American,
must be the offspring of purebred or American Saanens, Sables, or Experimental (when of wholly purebred or American Saanen bloodlines).
The Sable must also meet the color requirements; a Sable may be any color or combinations of colors, solid or patterned, EXCEPT solid white or light cream.
This would include goats who are basically white but have dark spots, ticking, etc., which preclude them from entry into the Saanen herd books.
This breed is presently not recognized by the American Dairy Goat Association,
but the standard is published as a guide for breeders who are working with colored Saanens.
Breed Description
The Saanen may appear almost as rangy as the Alpine, but she will be larger and heavier, containing more "substance."
The length of the head resembles the Alpine, but the ears may be longer and the eyes more mellow.
The muzzle will be wider and deeper, and the bridge of the nose will be nearly straight, with less "dish" than other breeds.
The Saanen must be pure white with no markings, although shades of cream may be acceptable. The hair often grows quite long, and it may tend to be heavier and perhaps coarser.
The pure white color refers to hair color only.
Spots of black pigment on the skin, like freckles, are normal.
The Sable is a colored offspring of registered, purebred Saanens, so the conformation is about the same as for the Saanen.
The color can be any color other than cream or white.ORIGIN: Switzerland
Saanen Does
Conformation and General Appearance:
Large, tall, rangy, graceful.
Height:
30" or more at withers
Weight:
135 pounds or more.
Head:
Wide, long, angular; nose dished or straight; muzzle deep; jaw strong.
Eyes:
Bright, intelligent, innocent large, full alert.
Ears:
Large, alert, wide possible rounding at tip.
Neck:
Long, graceful, smoothly blending and tapering; no dewlap.
Body:
Very deep and wide, very long, ribs open, well-sprung and pointing to the rear; angular, strong topline; sharp withers; long, wide loin and rump with very little slope to rump; smooth, blending shoulders.
Legs & Feet:
Long, squarely set, strong, straight, wide apart legs. Shapely, short, square feet with strong pasterns.
Coat:
Skin loose, thin and pliable, hair short.
Colors:
White preferred; cream acceptable. Freckles on skin acceptable. Black spots in hair not acceptable.
Udder:
Capacious, soft, pliable, globular, well-attached, even, with vertically set conical teats, well-delineated.
Saanen Bucks
Conformation and General Appearance:
Large, tall, rangy, masculine but graceful.
Height:
32" or more at withers
Weight:
185 pounds or more
Head:
Long, wide, neat, dished or straight nose, deep muzzle, strong jaw, full beard.
Ears:
Large, alert, wide
Eyes:
Bright, intelligent, innocent, large, full, alert.
Neck:
Long, powerful, masculine, graceful, tapering, smoothly blending.
Body:
Very deep, wide and angular; very long with open, well-sprung ribs pointing to the rear; strong back; short withers; long, wide loin and rump with little slope to rump; shoulders smoothly blended.
Coat:
Loose, pliable skin; short hair.
Colors:
White.
Reproductive Organs:
Well-developed, well attached, two even, rudimentary teats.

Skin Cancer Facts

2005-10-18T08:45:00.000-04:00

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Remedy.com"

Skin Cancer Facts
Skin Cancer effects more than a million people each year in America. Experts say more than one in 5 Americans will get skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. It is estimated that number will increase over the next five years; by 2010, "Melanoma" is projected to rise to one in 50 Americans. The incidence of melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer, is rising faster than that of any other cancer. One person dies every hour from skin cancer, primarily melanoma. Nationally, there are more new cases of skin cancer each year than the combined incidence of cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, and colon. The good news is; most of the things that pop up on our bodies as we age; moles, and skin tags are nothing to worry about, and they can be removed with natural mole removers or laser surgery.
Reno Nevada News reports that "more than 90 percent of all skin cancers are caused by sun exposure, yet most people use no form of sun protection; less than 33 percent of adults, adolescents, and children routinely use sun protection." The majority of people diagnosed with the melanoma form of skin cancer are "White Men over age 50." Skin cancer is the #1 cancer that hits men over age 50, way ahead of prostate, lung and colon cancer. Middle-aged and older men have the poorest track record for performing monthly skin self exams or regularly visiting a dermatologist. They are also the least likely individual to detect a melanoma in its early stages. While this type of skin cancer is uncommon in African-Americans, Asians, and Latinos, it is most deadly for these populations.
Melanoma also kills more young women under the age of 40 than any other cancer. In the past thirty years, skin cancer has tripled in women in America. The incidence of melanoma is increasing so rapidly in women that it is now the most common cancer in young women aged 25-29, and second only to breast cancer in women aged 30-34.
New research out on skin cancer and its causes revealed that one type of ray - the "UVA" causes more genetic damage than the other"UVB" rays. These UVB rays harm skin cells where most skin cancers arise – the keratinocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. The UVB rays tend to cause damage in more superficial epidermal layers.

Cuban exile from Miami chosen for Immigration job

2005-10-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

gotham news
Cuban exile from Miami chosen for Immigration job
A Cuban exile will appear Tuesday before the U.S. Senate to seek confirmation as head of a Homeland Security immigration unit.BY ALFONSO CHARDYachardy@herald.com
Emilio T. González was 4 years old when he fled his Cuban homeland with his family in 1961. At age 9, he, his older sister and his parents became U.S. citizens.
The young immigrant went on to become a successful member of the Cuban-American community and a trusted advisor to high-level U.S. foreign policy decision-makers.
On Tuesday, González, 48, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing after President Bush nominated him to head the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
CREATED AFTER 9/11
It's one of three agencies that replaced the Immigration and Naturalization Service following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Citizenship and Immigration Services handles the so-called service side of immigration -- naturalizing immigrants, awarding green cards, processing work permits and adjudicating asylum petitions.
If confirmed, González will follow in the footsteps of another Cuban immigrant -- Eduardo Aguirre, USCIS' first director, who stepped down to become U.S. ambassador to Spain.
NO COMMENT
González declined comment, but friends and associates provided an outline of his background.
The year he and his family fled Cuba was a fateful one for the island.
Fidel Castro proclaimed the ''socialist character'' of the Cuban revolution, and Cuban exiles, trained and financed by the Central Intelligence Agency, landed at the Bay of Pigs on the island's southern coast. They were soundly defeated after the United States failed to provide air cover for them.
Gonzalez's family left Cuba aboard a Spanish ship carrying Catholic priests and nuns expelled by the Castro regime. It went to Venezuela, where Gonzalez's mother has relatives. The family later moved to Tampa.
González's father chose Tampa because he had been in the cigar business in Cuba and the old city on Florida's West Coast has historic connections to the Cuban tobacco industry.
González attended the University of South Florida, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in international relations.
A short time later, he joined the U.S. Army and made a career out of the military. He stayed in the Army for 26 years, with postings around the world, and eventually made the rank of colonel. He taught at West Point and served as military attaché at the U.S. embassies in Mexico and El Salvador.
WORKED IN MIAMI
In Miami, González served as special assistant to Gen. Peter Pace, then commander-in-chief of the U.S. Southern Command. Pace is now chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
González, meanwhile, obtained a master's degree in Latin American studies at Tulane University and a Ph.D in international affairs at the University of Miami.
Jaime Suchlicki, a professor of history and director of UM's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, directed González's dissertation on the Salvadoran military.
''It was an analysis of the military and their attitude,'' Suchlicki recalled. ``He had good discipline. A very dedicated student, but he was also an affable guy with a great personality. Very intelligent guy.''
González also wrote a paper for a UM class titled The Cuban Connection: Drug Trafficking and the Castro Regime.
In 2002, González joined the Bush administration as director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council. He later went to work for a private law firm, Miami-based Tew Cardenas, LLP, commuting between his Miami home and the U.S. capital where he opened a government affairs office.
González's wife, Gloria Aristigueta, is an elementary and preschool teacher. Their two daughters attend Florida International University.

Doomsday: The Latest Word if Not the Last

2005-10-16T10:17:00.000-04:00

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WORD spread quickly in some conservative Christian circles when Israeli troops captured the Old City of Jerusalem from Arab forces in June 1967. This was it: Jesus was coming.
But Jesus did not return that day, and the world did not end with the culmination of that Arab-Israeli war.
Neither did it end in 1260, when Joachim of Fiore, an influential 12th-century Italian monk calculated it would, nor in February 1420, as predicted by the Taborites of Bohemia, nor in 1988, 40 years after the formation of Israel, nor after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
But after last week's devastating earthquake in Pakistan, coming as it did after a succession of recent disasters, the apocalyptic speculation, bubbled up again with impressive fervor on many Christian blogs, in some pews and among some evangelical Christian leaders.
Combined with fears of a global pandemic of avian flu, the calamitous flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina and last year's tsunami in Asia, the predictions of the end of the world are to be expected, religious historians said. After all, Christians have been predicting the end of history since the beginning of theirs.
"The doomsday scenarios are fairly cyclical," said Randall Balmer, a professor of American religious history at Barnard College. "The theology they are based on is a very linear view of history. They believe we are now ramping up to the end of time."
While these predictions have been around for thousands of years, the fixation on the so-called end times may be greater than ever on the American religious landscape, said Timothy P. Weber, a church historian and the author of "On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend."
Fascination with the end of days is seemingly everywhere, in popular television ministries (like Pat Robertson's), on best-seller lists (the "Left Behind" series) and even on bumper stickers ("In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned").
What could be behind this fascination? Many church leaders and theologians, including evangelicals, give little effort to trying to interpret natural disasters and other events that might portend the end of history. The preoccupation these days stems mainly from the outsized influence of a specific, literalistic approach to biblical prophecy, called dispensationalism, which only came to occupy a dominant place in American evangelicalism relatively recently.
"Dispensationalists have never had the kind of public exposure and the kind of political power that they have now," Mr. Weber said. As a whole, evangelical Christians are united in their belief that Jesus will come back in human form at some point in history. Where they, as well as members of other Christian groups, have differed is precisely how this will occur, depending on how each interprets a single verse in the 20th chapter of the Book of Revelation and its allusion to a 1,000-year reign by Christ.
This difference, in large part, Mr. Weber said, shapes how much they are "players in the end-time game."
Some theologians read the passage and Revelation less literally. Drawing on references elsewhere in the Bible, they say the verse means that Christian influence will grow in the world until it is completely evangelized, leading to a millennial period of universal peace and prosperity. Because they believe Christ will return after the millennium, they are called post-millennialists.
Others, called amillennialists, believe that the millennial age is unfolding now, through the church, but that evil continues to exist and will only be eradicated when Christ returns.
It is those who read the passage most literally - the so-called pre-millennialists - who hold the most pessimistic views. They believe history is irrevocably deteriorating, on its way toward a period of terrible suffering, called the tribulation, which will only be broken when Jesus returns and rules for a thousand years.
Dispensationalism emerged as an offshoot of this last school, owing its spread in large part to the work of a 19th-century British evangelist, John Nelson Darby.
Darby taught that history unfolds in various stages, or dispensations, and introduced several innovations to pre-millennialism, most prominently, the concept of the Rapture - that before the tribulation, true believers will suddenly be whisked away to heaven. This belief is the basis for the popular "Left Behind" series of novels.
Darby also emphasized the role of the nation of Israel in the end of history; the Israelites' return to the promised land, he said, was a requirement of the Second Coming.
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castro's list

2005-10-10T20:03:00.000-04:00

gotham news

Posted on Mon, Oct. 10, 2005
SPAIN
Castro highlights summit's guest list
Spain expects Cuban leader Fidel Castro to attend a meeting of leaders of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking nations from Europe and Latin America.By CIARAN GILESAssociated Press
SALAMANCA, Spain - The Spanish government is bracing itself for a rare appearance by Cuban leader Fidel Castro at a summit due to take place here later this week.
Castro, 79, who rarely travels any great distances, has been invited to the 15th Iberoamerican Summit due to take place in the western city of Salamanca on Friday and Saturday, along with leaders and heads of state of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking nations from Europe and Latin America.
''As far as we know, everybody is coming,'' said Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega.
It was not clear whether Guatemala and El Salvador would send high-level delegates in the wake of the effects of Hurricane Stan.
The hotel reservation requirement for the Cuban delegation is nearly twice the normal number of rooms when the Cuban leader travels with it, and so far the booking is for the full amount, the spokesman said, indicating it was likely Castro would attend.
The prospect of a meeting between Castro and close ally Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez at the summit has caused Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's government some concern.
''Zapatero fears the effect of Castro and Chávez at the Salamanca summit,'' said newspaper El País.
''We've held 14 summits so far and want this, the 15th, to tackle serious issues,'' the spokesman said.
El País said that Castro and Chávez could use the summit to seek support for their stance on the Luis Posada Carriles case. Posada, a vehement anti-Castro Cuban militant, is wanted by Cuban and Venezuelan courts. Posada, a naturalized Venezuelan and one-time CIA operative, is accused of masterminding from Caracas a bombing in which a Cubana Airlines plane traveling from Barbados to Havana exploded in the air on Oct. 6, 1976. He has denied involvement.
A Venezuelan military court tried and acquitted Posada of the bombing, but the decision was later overturned and a civilian court case convened.
Posada then escaped from a Venezuelan jail in 1985 before the civilian trial was completed, reportedly paying a $28,600 bribe to secure escape.
Tackling Cuba's human rights position is another diplomatically difficult area for Zapatero's government if the Cuban leader arrives. ''Human rights will definitely be discussed and will be included in the final declaration,'' said Fernández de la Vega.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was scheduled to visit the summit as a special guest. Around 100 business leaders were expected to attend meetings on the fringe of the summit to discuss how to improve trading conditions and prosperity in the areas represented.

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Kazakhstan Says End of Bomb-Grade Uranium Is in Sight

2005-10-10T19:58:00.001-04:00

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Kazakhstan Says End of Bomb-Grade Uranium Is in Sight

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By ETHAN WILENSKY-LANFORD
Published: October 9, 2005
UST-KAMENOGORSK, Kazakhstan, Oct. 8 - More than a decade after pledging to give up its nuclear arsenal, Kazakhstan announced Saturday that it was moving closer to a second goal: ridding itself of highly enriched nuclear reactor fuel, which terrorists could use to construct a crude nuclear bomb.
The announcement in this distant industrial outpost on the Kazakh steppe was made as Kazakhstan's national atomic company, Kazatomprom, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, an American nonprofit organization, neared the completion of blending down roughly 6,600 pounds of highly enriched uranium to a different form that is suitable for civilian use but is not weapons-grade.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev hailed the news at a gathering of non-proliferation officials here, adding in an interview that his nation would convert its remaining nuclear reactor fuel, and perhaps try to convert fuel from other nations as well.
"Now we are capable of converting the highly enriched uranium, or any remains of that uranium, into low-enriched uranium," Mr. Nazarbayev said. "Maybe one day our factory here in Kazakhstan can be a place where highly enriched uranium from other countries can be processed into a low-enriched form."
The announcement underscored the quiet sense of urgency among nonproliferation officials since the terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001. It also demonstrated a continued area of collaboration between the West and a centralized post-Soviet government in a region where relations have been strained by the slow pace of political and economic changes.
Kazakhstan, the only Central Asian nation left with nuclear weapons after the break up of the Soviet Union, inherited 1,410 atomic warheads in 1991, giving it the fourth-largest nuclear inventory in the world.
Mr. Nazarbayev, the former Communist official who has led the nation throughout its independence, committed to destroy or return to Russia all of its arsenal, and the country swiftly rid itself of nuclear weapons - a decision that Western officials said influenced similar choices by Ukraine and Belarus. "I know what a powerful influence that was," said former Senator Sam Nunn, of Georgia, who worked extensively on non-proliferation issues in the Senate and is a co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
But in addition to its vast nuclear arsenal, Kazakhstan also inherited five aging nuclear reactors, all of which used highly enriched uranium, posing a threat of a different sort.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world's central nuclear regulatory body, as little as 60 pounds of highly enriched uranium is sufficient to make a nuclear weapon.
Given the potential dangers, the United States, along with other nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been helping to underwrite the more secure storage and conversion of highly enriched reactor fuel.
The work has been quietly conducted in several nations, including Romania, Bulgaria and Latvia, and has gone forward in nations that have had strained relations with the United States. For example, the United States National Nuclear Security Administration, the semiautonomous agency in the Department of Energy that works on nonproliferation projects, removed highly enriched fuel from reactors in Libya and Uzbekistan in 2004.
The United States has also encouraged the closure of nuclear reactors that use the highly enriched fuel, or their conversion to use the less dangerous low enriched fuel.
The project here is a cooperative undertaking of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, an organization financed principally by Ted Turner that complements the government's work, and Kazatomprom. It began in 2001, when the Nuclear Threat Initiative approached Kazakhstan and offered to help move the fuel from a reactor near the border with Iran and to the site here, and convert it to low enriched uranium, Mr. Nunn said.
A vice president for the group, Laura Holgate, said it proposed the project because the fresh fuel from Aktau was "falling through the cracks" of programs run by the United States. Kazatomprom and the Nuclear Threat Initiative split the $2 million cost, which included upgrading the plant where fuel is converted. Once the conversion is completed, the fuel will be sold for use in civilian electricity production.
Although Kazakhstan has only a fraction of its former material that could be used for a weapons, non-proliferation experts said its work was not completed. There remains an undisclosed quantity of highly enriched uranium at one other Kazakh research reactor. Mr. Nazarbayev also vowed to convert this fuel.
"If in that reactor there is some highly enriched uranium which can be converted," he said, "we will make sure it will be converted."
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Kazakhstan Says End of Bomb-Grade Uranium Is in Sight

2005-10-10T19:58:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 10, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

2005-10-10T09:23:00.000-04:00

gotham news
Monday, October 10, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
Microsoft sees a future on the small screen
By Brier Dudley
Seattle Times technology reporter
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Moshe Lichtman is the vice president of Microsoft's TV Division.
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It took 12 years and more than $10 billion, but one of Microsoft's biggest dreams may finally be coming true: The company is close to becoming a major player in the television business.
This is not about PCs that play video — the company has done that for years — but rather a whole new platform for delivering television over the Internet, through software that's mostly invisible to consumers.
The company is helping phone companies build a new infrastructure for delivering bleeding-edge television services, superfast Internet and phone services over a single line to the home. It's a test of how far Microsoft has evolved beyond desktop software and whether it's ready to join the elite fraternity of tech companies that can power massive, ultrareliable "carrier grade" systems used by the telecommunications industry.
Consumers will see cool new features — imagine four live pictures on a screen at once — instant channel changes and more options for on-demand video rentals, including high-definition content. Microsoft TV also merges phone services, so incoming messages, e-mail and caller ID can be displayed on users' television screens.
Microsoft hopes its Internet protocol television system (IPTV) will also be used in India, China and other developing countries, where it could provide education and government services as well as entertainment via the television.
With PC sales slowing as the market saturates, Microsoft is salivating over the potential of faster-growing areas such as television and mobile phones.
"When we look at those two areas — mobile phones and TVs — we see huge potential for software to improve and really expand the experience for consumers and the type of value that those devices and the services attached to those devices deliver," said Microsoft TV Division Vice President Moshe Lichtman, a 14-year company veteran who took over the struggling TV group in 2001 and now runs it remotely from his native Israel.
Fits and startsTelevision technology has long been in Microsoft's sights, but its record is spotty at best
1994: Announces "Tiger" software for interactive television devices, plans test in the Seattle area.
1997: Invests $1 billion in Comcast, buys WebTV for $425 million.
1999: Announces first iteration of Microsoft TV product and invests $5 billion in AT&T and $4 billion in European cable companies.
2000: Microsoft TV division created.
2001: Major deployment in Portugal announced.
2002: Portuguese product performs poorly, UltimateTV group cut, 168 jobs cut.
2004: Comcast agrees to use TV Foundation products on up to 5 million set-top boxes, usage debuts in Washington state; SBC signs $400 million, 10-year contract to use Microsoft TV IPTV Edition platform.
2005: Microsoft forms alliance with Alcatel, signs contracts with Verizon and carriers in Western Europe.
Sept. 22, 2005: Verizon deploys Microsoft-based TV service in Keller, Texas.
Lichtman, 48, said the product "has really caught on fire," but he does worry that it may undo some of the productivity gains that Microsoft's PC software brought to the world.
"I like to think that what we do is 100 percent goodness for humanity, but since my 15-year-old daughter increased her TV consumption almost two fold, I'm wondering about that," Lichtman said. "It's a captivating experience, especially our IPTV system — from the moment you pick up the remote and hit the on button, it really draws you into the experience."
The system also won over phone companies, which are racing to add television services to defend their turf from cable companies, which are increasingly offering phone services.
Off to a slow start
Over the past year, four of the five major phone companies in the U.S. and others in Europe and Asia have signed contracts worth up to $400 million to use Microsoft's TV software. Those companies cover 75 percent of the U.S. and much of Western Europe. Globally, Microsoft has contracts with companies providing 26 percent of the world's phone lines.
It may be some time before the service gets to the Seattle area. Qwest is the one phone company that has not signed a contract with Microsoft and hasn't committed to providing Internet-based TV services here. Verizon could bring its Fios service to the Eastside within a few years, but it's not disclosing any plans for the area yet.
Microsoft TV appears ready, but phone companies are starting slow, testing and tweaking the system before widespread rollouts over the next two years. Discs containing the final version of the software were delivered on Aug. 31, and on Sept. 22 Verizon started delivering the service in Texas. Verizon charges $39.95 a month for the starting package with 180 channels and free installation of a fiber-optic cable to the home.
But just because the systems are being installed doesn't mean it will work well or that customers will sign up, said Josh Bernoff, an analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. His market research firm predicts 2.2 million people will use the service by 2009, making Microsoft about the ninth or 10th largest television operator.
"To the extent that Microsoft TV can actually be deployed and work, it's fantastic," Bernoff said. "We have some skepticism about just how rapidly the telephone companies are going to be in a position to deploy."
SBC is also starting in Texas, where a statewide regulatory approach has made entering the television business relatively easy for phone companies.
With or without Microsoft, IPTV is expected to be a huge market, particularly as China expands its infrastructure. Subscribers are expected to increase from 2.7 million worldwide this year to 25.9 million in 2010, including 4.9 million in China and 3.4 million in the U.S., according to London-based research firm Informa Telecoms & Media.
Series of grand schemes
Talk of a Microsoft TV platform may seem like déjà vu. Over the years, the company has unveiled one grand scheme after another to provide TV services.
It first tried to merge the PC and the TV with a ballyhooed system called Tiger that it announced with Intel in 1994. Oracle and other competitors scoffed that Microsoft didn't have the experience to deliver such a system. It couldn't even get the prototypes to work when Chairman Bill Gates demonstrated them to a utility association in Seattle.
"You can see it's not going to happen overnight," Gates said at the time.
Then the company spent years developing sophisticated cable boxes. It also bought a California company called WebTV, which made devices for surfing the Web on a television, and continues to offer that service as MSN TV.
Partly to open doors with potential customers, the company invested more than $10 billion in phone and cable companies, including a $5 billion investment in AT&T, which later merged with Comcast. But that did little to move its early TV products.
Microsoft's cable boxes were ahead of their time. After cable operators scaled down plans after the tech bubble burst, the boxes lost potential customers. So far they're being used only by Comcast in the greater Seattle area and by three companies in Mexico.
"They never give up"
Four years ago, after an earlier version of its platform failed miserably after its debut in Portugal, Microsoft decided to regroup. It assessed its collection of TV technology and where it thought the industry was heading, and decided to focus on two areas. It would continue to produce software for cable boxes and it would develop an entirely new platform for delivering TV services over the Internet. It also cut the UltimateTV division that produced a TiVo-like device for satellite TV customers and laid-off 168 employees.
Microsoft stopped buying companies and investing in carriers in 2002. Instead, it recruited industry insiders and built a network of partnerships with Motorola, Sigma Designs, Tandberg and others that developed specialized TV technology.
"Once we put together the overall story, the overall strategy, it was pretty much smooth sailing," Lichtman said. "Both Bill [Gates] and Steve [Ballmer] are huge supporters of this business. They see the opportunity very clearly and we have been extremely prudent in how we have grown this business."
Two years ago the company announced the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition, a front-to-back system that extended from network centers to the set-top box that delivers television and other services via the Internet. It's designed so that companies can use the entire system, or mix and match with other components.
In some ways it's the classic Microsoft story: The company kept banging away until it got it right.
"They never give up, they don't lose, they just lose a round and come back," Bernoff said, noting that many other companies pursuing advanced television fell by the wayside. "It's just a brutal, brutal business and that favors someone with an infinite amount of capital and a lot of perseverance and a long view."
Complicated project
The timing also improved for Microsoft. Its platform arrived just as phone companies were scrambling to upgrade their networks and add television and other products to compete with cable while offsetting their losses to wireless services. Microsoft also works with cable companies, but that industry is pursuing a new standard that includes an old Microsoft rival, Sun Microsystems' Java platform.
The complete system offered by Microsoft appealed to SBC, the second largest phone company in the U.S. and the first to install the entire Microsoft platform from end to end.
"We made the decision, should we go get best-of-breed in every single little piece that we could, or should we get one provider that has a common vision about where television can go, and we saw the future very similar to the way Microsoft TV sees the future," said Jeff Weber, vice president of product and strategy.
It's not exactly a turnkey system, however. SBC's broad rollout of the service is about six months behind its original schedule. It is aiming to reach 18 million homes by mid-2008, instead of the end of 2007, although it's still on track to start deploying it in Texas this year.
Weber said Microsoft's software was on time and met SBC's quality standards, but it's a complicated project. The company is extending fiber optic lines to neighborhoods, connecting a series of "nodes" that may serve 300 to 400 homes. Existing phone lines connect the nodes to homes, and unlike advanced cable services, the system doesn't require a cable box with a tuner.
Weber said the company is "hitting our milestones" but it's challenging to keep the project and the different companies involved in sync.
A compelling vision
Verizon is using a hybrid system that includes Microsoft software and products from other vendors. It began offering television with its Fios broadband service last month in Texas but the jury's still out on how Microsoft's product will perform, whether customers will pay for it and how well the company can support the carriers, said Shawn Strickland, vice president of Fios TV-product management.
"Microsoft still has to deliver," he said. "We're all as an industry waiting for that to happen. Their vision is compelling. It remains to be seen how it will be taken up from a consumer perspective. Ultimately it's going to come down to how well telcos deliver on the promises — it doesn't matter how pretty it is, because if it isn't reliable, nobody's going to buy it."
Lichtman is confident it's going to fly. He said it's just a matter of getting the systems in place and remotes into user's hands.
"The big challenge obviously is creating the first incarnation of the technology, making sure that the ecosystem delivers their part of the equation," he said. "Once customers are going to start deploying these technologies, it will be a virtuous cycle where you're going to see more success, more customers jumping on the bandwagon, more services, more value."
Brier Dudley: 206-515-5687 or bdudley@seattletimes.com

Chinese Animation Market: Monkey King vs. Mickey Mouse

2005-10-08T22:00:00.000-04:00

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Chinese Animation Market: Monkey King vs. Mickey Mouse

By staff reporter QIAO TIANBI

THE First China International Animation Festival and Exposition was held in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province from the 1st to the 5th of June this year. One of Disney’s most popular cartoons, Mulan, was adapted from an old Chinese folk story, and hauled in more than US$ 300 million at the box office. Spurred on by such success, Disney followed it up with the sequel, Mulan II, released in 2004. Mulan was fortunate, in that of the thousands of Chinese folk tales, it was selected by one of the world’s largest moviemakers.
Japanese and South Korean animators currently dominate the Chinese market.
However, GoGo Top, the first weekly Chinese animation magazine, carried out a survey in 2004, showing that of Chinese youngsters’ top 20 favorite cartoon characters, only one, the Monkey King, is Chinese. This survey rattled some Chinese cartoonists, as the animation industry is set to reap some US$ 60 billion in China this year and will enter a golden period in the next three to five years.
China, with its 370 million children, is considered one of the world’s largest animation markets. The Quatech Market Research Company surveyed youngsters aged between 14 to 30 in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and found that they spend over RMB 1.3 billion (about US $160 million) on cartoons every year, but that more than 80 percent of the revenue flows straight out of the country. During the 1980s and 1990s, China formed the largest production base for European, American and Japanese animation companies, due to the country’s low labor costs and high quality artists. Many famed cartoons and animated films were produced in China. Later, however, production costs dropped in other countries, and the global animators packed their bags and left. At the time, China hadn’t formed a significant animation industry of its own.
To stimulate the industry in China, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued a new policy in April 2004 that aimed to separate animation production from screening business, and encouraged multiple ownership businesses to get involved in animation development and operation. The year 2004 was set as the country’s Animation Year, and the industry generated revenue amounting RMB tens of millions.
Cartoons and Cosplay are popular among Chinese youngsters.
However, animation production and TV alone can’t maximize the industry’s profits. In other countries, most of the industry’s revenue comes from the sale of related merchandise or multimedia products. “We need to put more effort into developing all sides of the industry,” says Jin Guoping, director of Shanghai Animation Film Studio. In 1999, the Studio spent RMB 21 million (about US$ 2.54) on producing Lotus Lantern. The animated film earned a box office income of more than RMB 20 million, but failed to capitalize on any related products. The same film studio shot a cartoon series Crazy for the Song in 2001, and although two-thirds of its profits came from selling related merchandise, it lags far behind compared with foreign animation companies. The American cartoon Transformers was broadcast free on Chinese TV, but subsequent profits from toy sales amounted RMB 5 billion.
Story-Telling Skills Needs Improvement
Studies show that among Chinese youngsters, 60 percent prefer Japanese cartoons, 29 percent prefer Americans, and just 11 percent favor those made by Chinese mainland, Taiwan or Hong Kong animators. Mr. Jin says Chinese cartoons simply do not appeal to Chinese youngsters, as although many of them are made for children under the age of 14, the majority of them are intended to educate rather than entertain.
Chinese kids seem to relate better to Japanese cartoons, because they provide a vivid reflection of the instincts and problems that children have. They also promote friendship, love and ambition. Chinese cartoon characters, on the other hand, are rigid and lack the sense of fun and innocence that children hold so dear. “Chinese cartoonists are as good as Japanese ones, if not better,” commented famous Japanese cartoonist Chiba Tetsuya. “But a good cartoon requires not only good drawings, but also an interesting plot. Chinese cartoonists need to spend more time on creating adventure story lines and on upgrading their story telling skills.”

Is China becoming cooler to Pakistan?

2005-10-08T21:55:00.000-04:00

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Is China becoming cooler to Pakistan?

By Wajid Shamsul Hasan

China and Pakistan--for more than 40 years-- have enjoyed best of relations despite various ups and downs in the period running. In the language of global diplomacy these relations are at best described as rooted in necessity based on sincerity and selfless commitment to help and stand by each other in times of adversity.

Pakistan’s major architect of Sino-Pakistan’s relations was its popular leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who as the Foreign Minister in Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s cabinet (1958-1967) and during his own helmsmanship of the country both as its president and prime minister (December 1971 to July 1977) worked painstakingly to build this relationship between Islamabad and Beijing—described by him--as “higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the Seven Seas”.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had earned the wrath of the successive American administrations for undermining US dominance on Pakistan with emphasis on greater dependability on China especially in the field of procuring Chinese arms to replace dependence on American arms and spares. Besides Bhutto had believed that it was in the best national interests to break American stranglehold on Pakistan and seek genuine “friends and not masters”. Beijing has proved over the years to be a true and dependable friend of Pakistan.

However, lately—according to sources in Islamabad—the relationship is not as warm as it used to be. Reasons are varied and multifaceted.

In the first place, Chinese do not like the interference of Pakistan-based Islamists in their Muslim-dominated and populated areas bordering Pakistan. These Islamists that have deep connections with Pakistan’s overly dominating intelligence apparatus (i.e. ISI) after the success of the Afghan Mujahideen, Taliban and other Pakistan-based Jihadi organisations in their Jihad against erstwhile Soviet Union, feel and covertly encouraged by anti-Chinese forces—that they can repeat history in China and get independence for the Muslim areas in China.

Secondly, Chinese emergence as a major global player in international politics as a super power second only to Washington, its enormous economic growth and its growing influence as a key security and economic factor in the region—has added more of pragmatism to its policies vis-à-vis its neighbours rather than emotions. Its relations with India have become matured and its stand on Kashmir—a dispute between India and Pakistan in which Beijing had always supported Islamabad in the past—has become more proactive. It has been supporting the need for a dialogue between India and Pakistan to settle Kashmir dispute. It now lays greater emphasis on bilateralism and it is opposed to politics of cross-border terrorism. In its own behind-the-scene quiet diplomacy, it has been emphasising upon Islamabad that it must forget to sort out issues with India through an armed conflict or misadventures such as Kargil. It has also urged upon Pakistani leaders not to encourage or support cross-border terrorists.

Thirdly, China feels uneasy about Gawadar Port in Pakistan’s Baluchistan area that it has taken upon itself at an enormous investment to develop as an alternate port to Karachi with easy access to warm waters for Central Asian republics. Recent killing of three of their engineers, bomb blasts and firing of rockets at the site—have been seen by Beijing as the machinations of those forces that are opposed to increasing Chinese influence in that sensitive area. It feels that Washington is opposed to greater role that Beijing has carved itself for to play in the economic development of the Central Asian region including Afghanistan. China look at the surprise opposition to the Gawadar Project by some of the leading Baloch nationalists—as a dance on the tunes played by Washington—although it has not yet said it so openly.

Beijing is, however, wary of the growing American influence in Pakistan and Washington’s leverage over Islamabad. Its increasing capacity to dictate policies to President General Pervez Musharraf who has tied Pakistan to the American apron string to sustain himself in power, has been rather annoying to Beijing who feel that someday Pakistan military and its apex intelligence agency ISI could be used –as in Afghanistan in the eighties—by Washington to destabilise Chinese political equilibrium in the name of democracy and human rights.

It may be mentioned here that on several occasions Beijing has discovered the heavy presence of members of the Pakistani militant Jihadi organisations especially Jamaat-i-Islami—a Pakistani version of Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. They have been found carrying on preaching, training and coaxing of the Chinese Muslims to revolt and seek their rights against what they call “oppression, slavery and denial of their religious rights” by the mainland. On occasions some of the young Jihadis after having tried their disruptive actives have returned to Pakistan.

However, Beijing has never taken such intrusions lightly. It not only keeps its pressure on Islamabad by protesting to it. It ensures that the Islamic miscreants involved in subversive activities in China having taken refuge in the rugged mountains in Pakistan, are returned to it to face public execution by firing squads.

Sources say that China has been rather serious in securing itself against international terrorism. Therefore, it backs the US-led war on terrorism as a response to its energy and security requirements. In this endeavour it has called for international support in its campaign against ethnic Uighur separatists in Xinxiang (a mostly Muslim region that has borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan). Along with Russia, it has set up the Shanghai Five in order to protect its growing energy requirements from the military presence of the US around the vast untapped Caspian oil reserves in Central Asia.

Beijing is fully aware of the proximity between Pakistani intelligence apparatus --Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)—and the American CIA. It is an open secret that the Pakistani intelligence services have worked closely with the US on security planning in the region. Chinese sources believe that Islamabad is a party to the United States setting up of its listening posts in Afghanistan to monitor China and Central Asia.

To test the extent of Pakistan’s trustworthiness towards China, Beijing has forwarded a list of what it claims are Xingxiang Islamic insurgents operating under Pakistani territory that it wants extradited. In this connection it had summoned to Bejing last month Pakistan’s Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat. On his return to Islamabad from China the Interior Minister had acknowledged: "Chinese government has provided us a list of its wanted criminals and terrorists who have sought refuge in Pakistan. We would shortly take action against them".

Beijing is not happy over Islamabad’s delay in action for the extradition of the Islamic militants who it wants for igniting religious ferment in Muslim dominated areas of China. According to sources in Beijing, Islamabad has so far not taken any major action to extradite those wanted by China. Islamabad, it is learnt, is under pressure from the six-party religious alliance—MMA-- not to hand over anybody carrying on struggle for the rights of the Muslims in China.

Islamabad’s lukewarm attitude in its response to Beijing and delay dallying has been attributed to the fact MMA is a major shareholder in General Musharraf’s power game in Pakistan. While MMA is seen to be an opponent of General Musharraf in public, in fact it supports him when and where it matters in the quiet from behind the scene. Surely, had it not been for MMA’s support General Musharraf could not have become President of the country nor he could have had his Legal Framework Order (LFO) that gives him absolute powers, incorporated in the Constitution of Pakistan. Besides, it is also learnt that while Americans are all for war against terrorism, they have indicated to Islamabad that they are not interested-- in particular-- in helping China to crush its Muslim population struggling for its human rights.

In that situation, sources claim, as long as the insurgency in Xingxiang province continues to trouble Beijing, it is unlikely that the Americans will put any pressure on Pakistan to withdraw support to the insurgents or meet the Chinese demands. Besides, Beijing is not likely to trust Islamabad in any regional security set-up for fear of infiltration by the US through the back door or by having a proxy representation in the shape of Pakistani presence.

Finally, a Sino-Pakistan anti-terrorism exercise—to keep the pretences of good relations going---codenamed "Friendship 2004", took off on August 5th 2004. More than 200 Chinese and Pakistani troops held an unusually well publicized joint anti-terrorism exercise in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Uygur autonomous Region, which is located on the Pamirs at over 4,000 meters, bordering Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The exercise has been an extension of a common security system arrived at between Pakistan and China in July 2004 entitled the ‘Shanghai Security System’. The proposed aim of the security system is to increase collaboration on combating terrorism and other activities related to it.

However, despite the importance attached by Islamabad to the ‘Shanghai Security System’, in reality—experts say-- it is more of an alternative structure set up for Pakistan in order to keep it away from getting involved in the Russia-China inspired regional security structure, the Shanghai Six.

Sources say that Beijing has been deeply suspicious of the ISI involvement in the Islamic insurgency in its Xingxiang province. Moreover, it has reasons to be suspicious of indirect American involvement in its uranium and oil rich province due to the current closeness and collaboration between Islamabad and Washington and their respective high profile intelligence apparatuses.

According to Pakistani defence analysts the stark visibility, openness and easily accessible availability of information, leaks by sources in Beijing and the wide publication of photographs of the exercise “Friendship 2004” indicate that Beijing attaches very low priority to the exercises as similar joint military drills between China and Pakistan were always kept out of public glare and exposure. Therefore “Friendship 2004” joint exercise against terrorism seems to have been more of a public relations exercise aimed at maintaining regional engagement between the two countries. Quoting Chinese Liberation Army sources, the Chinese news agency Xinhua said:

''The joint command headquarters drill included information exchange and situation assessment, and the troops drill practiced encirclement, assault and mop-up....The goal of the exercises, in 4,000 meter high mountains, was to improve the capacity of jointly combating terrorism, and contain and crack down on the forces of separatism, extremism and terrorism”.

In the final analysis, Sino-Pakistan experts are of the view that the two countries while maintaining proximity in public, are actually drifting away from each other. And in the long run, Pakistan would be the loser. Its friendship with China has withstood severe most tests and stresses while Washington has always had the pleasure of letting down in hours of distress its most trusted of the allies east of Suez.

For Babies, a Fast Track to Toilet Training

2005-10-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

gotham news
By TINA KELLEY
Published: October 9, 2005
Hannah Rothstein, 7 months old, has double thighs and a dimpled bottom, but very svelte German underwear. She can still fit into her birth-to-3-month-old clothes because she lacks her peers' familiar bulge in the rear. She can sleep all night without a diaper. And during the day, every so often, after her mother, Melinda, of Newton, Mass., places her on a plastic potty and makes a little "pss-wss-wss" sound like the one used to call a cat, Hannah uses the toilet.
For many parents in the United States, the idea of potty training before a baby is able to walk, or even before age 2, is not just horrifying but reprehensible - a sure nightmare for parents and baby, not to mention a direct route from the crib to the psychiatrist's couch. But a growing number of parents are experimenting with infant potty training, seeing it as more sanitary, ecologically correct and likely to strengthen bonds between parent and child.
About 2,000 people across the country have joined Internet groups and e-mail lists to learn more about the techniques of encouraging a baby - a child too young to walk or talk - to go in a toilet, a sink or a pot. Through a nonprofit group, Diaper Free Baby (www.diaperfreebaby.org), 77 local groups have formed in 35 states to encourage the practice. One author's how-to books on the subject have sold about 50,000 copies.
"It's just so simple," said Lamelle Ryman, who recently attended a support meeting at an apartment on the Upper West Side. Ms. Ryman, the mother of 7-month-old Neshama, added, "I feel like it's been such a gift in our relationship."
Adoption of the approach in the West is in its infant stage, so to speak. Moreover, the philosophy behind it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Dr. Benjamin Spock, the last word in child rearing for many American families through much of the 20th century, recommended against any training in the first year, believing that it could lead to rebellion later through bedwetting.
Once, however, breastfeeding also was a rarity.
With early toilet training, there is a broad body of knowledge and experience to draw on. Parents in at least 75 countries, including India, Kenya and Greenland, embrace the practice, with Chinese babies often wearing pants with split bottoms for easy squatting (available for $1 in Chinatown, according to savvy mothers in New York).
Some parents who adopt children from other countries say they are startled to find that their babies arrive ready to use the toilet. More than 50 percent of the world's children are toilet trained by the time they turn 1, according to Contemporary Pediatrics magazine.
From birth, the reasoning goes, infants are aware of their needs to eliminate, and although their muscles are not developed, they can soon learn to go on cue. Conversely, by relying on disposable diapers, modern parents are in effect teaching babies to ignore the signs that they have to go, making potty training at a later age more difficult.
Ingrid Bauer, author of "Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene" (Natural Wisdom Press, 2001), believes it is easiest to begin toilet training in the first six months. To start, parents are taught to hold the baby by the thighs in a seated position against their stomachs and to make an encouraging hiss or grunt. With practice, parents learn their child's rhythms; some parents sleep next to their children and keep a potty at arm's reach, or diaper their babies overnight.
For families who practice the technique, the advantages are many: savings in the cost of diapers, which can reach $3,000 a child; less guilt about contributing to the 22 billion disposable diapers that end up in landfills every year; no diaper rash, and a nursery that doesn't reek of diaper pail. They also note that age 2, a common age for toilet training, is a time of notorious willfulness and a terrible age to start teaching any child anything.
Most important, they say, is an increased emotional bond with the baby, forged by the need for the parent to pick up on subtle signs and act on them quickly. Proponents of the practice use the phrase "elimination communication."
"It is enhancing that interaction and closeness, the intimacy between baby and mother," said Thomas Ball, a psychologist in California who is helping develop a documentary about the technique. Unquestionably, in a child-rearing culture that thrives on sanitation and parental convenience, the prospect of supervising 20 deposits a day in the first busy months of infancy is daunting.
"It doesn't sound like anything I would ever even attempt to try," said Erinn Marchetti, who has two preschool-age children and was shopping recently at Toys "R" Us in Times Square. "It's hard enough when they're 2 and 3."
Another mother in Toys "R" Us, who offered her opinion but wanted to remain anonymous, was aghast at the notion. "Have you read Freud?" she asked, worrying about the method's long-term effects. "I imagine it's going to come out in sexual ways."
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4. Melanoma: Get It Once, Get It Again!

2005-10-08T19:17:00.000-04:00

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4. Melanoma: Get It Once, Get It Again!
"Bet you can't have just one" should be the slogan of deadly melanomas rather than potato chips.
That's because once you've had the primary form of the skin cancer, you're very likely to have another - and another.
And this is true even when each individual cancer is successfully treated and removed.
These are the disturbing findings of an important new study from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"If you've had a melanoma, you are at lifetime risk for developing a second or third primary melanoma, and it's absolutely incumbent on every single patient with melanoma to be rigorous in insisting on long-term contact with their dermatologist," declared Dr. Daniel Coit, a dermatologist at the cancer center.
Dr. Coit and his colleagues followed 4,484 patients diagnosed with their first primary melanoma between 1996 and 2002.
They found that the patients had an 11 percent risk of developing a second primary melanoma, usually within a year after the first one was found.
And those who developed a second primary melanoma had a 31 percent chance of developing a third one within one to five years.
The continuing risk for primary melanoma was even greater for the patients who had a family history of it, the researchers said.
Cases of melanoma are rising about three percent per year in the United States, with 62,000 new cases and 7,600 related deaths likely to occur in 2005. It is the fifth most common cancer in men and the sixth in women.

Sexy, successful…and single?

2005-10-08T10:48:00.000-04:00

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Sexy, successful…and single?
By Elsa K. Simcik
Here’s the scene: A woman’s spending way too much time around the cheese tray at her neighbor’s drab get-together when suddenly, a tall, slightly stubbled gentleman (think Jack from Lost) approaches. After about 30 seconds of swapping stories about how they each know Trish (host of said drab gathering), he predictably asks her, “So, what do you do?”
Sounds cheesy (pardon the pun), but some women dread revealing their occupation. Who are they? They’re women with impressive jobs—doctors, lawyers, engineers. And a woman having an impressive job always yields the same reaction from a man: Confusion, awkwardness, that moment when he’s wondering, “Is my job as an assistant manager of a copy shop going to sound pitiful?” Apparently just because you have a lot of degrees on your wall doesn’t mean you have a lot of suitors at your door. And as women continue to achieve higher-level jobs, there are more smart, accomplished gals who have to face the fact that they may intimidate men. In fact, in 2003, women accounted for 36% of all chemists, 28% of all lawyers, 30% of all physicians and surgeons, and — wow — 66% of all psychologists. So are successful women doomed to a life of tense cheese-tray introductions? Of course not. These women can either be patient till an equally high-powered man or a naturally confident fella turns up. Or they can know how best to present their career so as not to scare off less-assured guys. Here, some pointers: Ask for adviceBring your career down to reality, suggests John Gray, Ph.D., author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Open up and show a vulnerable side right from the beginning, “When a woman immediately senses that a man is intimidated, she should find a way of communicating that she has a need for some advice,” Dr. Gray explains: “For example, if she’s a doctor, she could talk to him about something frustrating that happened at the hospital that day.” Dr. Gray points out that men want to feel needed, so this tactic is a good way to bring him inside your circle. Chat up guys about their career“I say date someone who is as equally passionate about their job as you are,” recommends Jill Farrar, a lawyer. “After speaking legal jargon all day, that’s the last thing I want to come home to. I find myself usually dating doctors, architects or even salesmen—guys who are consumed with their jobs and want to swap stories with me.” Find equal footingDon’t let the conversation just be about work. Find a way to change the topic to something you can both relate to: The last movie you saw, your favorite spot for a hike, the wine-tasting class you’re taking next week. The goal here is to get talking about mutual interests—or hobbies you can share with one another. This isn’t just resume-trading time. Show what else makes you tick. Know when it’s not going to work…Still, some high-powered gals know that there are some situations where it’s best to say ‘there are other fish in the sea’: “I dated a guy who couldn’t get over the fact that I had a Master’s degree,” admits Whitney Bessler. “Since he hadn’t been to college, he would always remind me that I had two more degrees than him. He even made a point to read the newspaper right before he would pick me up. I didn’t care about our educational differences. But I did care that he made an issue out of it.” Whitney packed up her two framed diplomas and left. And what if a guy is perhaps too pleased about your turbo-charged career? That’s a situation Kory Jones, a surgical resident, faced. She thought dating a musician/bartender would provide a nice balance to her intense, life-and-death, grueling-schedule job. “Most guys I date get fed up with the amount of time I spend at work,” explains Dr. Jones. “But this guy encouraged it. He told me to work hard so that when I was done with my residency I would ‘make the big bucks.’ The last straw was when he introduced me as his Sugar Mama.” The lesson here? Sometimes you don’t have to think too hard to know when a relationship just isn’t going to work. Elsa K. Simcik is a writer specializing in relationships and fitness. Besides MSN Dating and Personals, Elsa has contributed to Men’s Edge, Daily Candy, Women’s Health and Fitness and more. She can be reached at www.writinggal.com.

Deadly 1918 Epidemic Linked to Bird Flu, Scientists Say

2005-10-05T14:03:00.000-04:00

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By GINA KOLATA
Published: October 5, 2005
Two teams of federal and university scientists announced today that they had resurrected the 1918 influenza virus, the cause of one of history's most deadly epidemics, and had found that unlike the viruses that caused more recent flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968, the 1918 virus was actually a bird flu that jumped directly to humans.
The work, being published in the journals Nature and Science, involved getting the complete genetic sequence of the 1918 virus, using techniques of molecular biology to synthesize it, and then using it to infect mice and human lung cells in a specially equipped, secure lab at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The findings, the scientists say, reveal a small number of genetic changes that may explain why this virus was so lethal. The work also confirms the legitimacy of worries about the bird flu viruses that are now emerging in Asia.
The new research indicates that the 1918 virus, unlike more recent flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968, was actually a bird flu that jumped directly to humans. The new studies find that today's bird flu viruses share a few of the crucial genetic changes that occurred in the 1918 flu. The scientists suspect that with the 1918 flu, changes in just 25 to 30 out of about 4,400 amino acids in the viral proteins turned the virus into a killer. The bird flus, known as H5N1 viruses, have a few, but not all, of those changes.
In a joint statement, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "The new studies could have an immediate impact by helping scientist focus on detecting changes in the evolving H5N1 virus that might make widespread transmission among humans more likely."
The work also reveals that the 1918 virus is very different from ordinary human flu viruses. It infects cells deep in the lungs of mice, and infects lung cells, like the cells lining air sacs, that normally would be impervious to flu. And while other human flu viruses do not kill mice, this one, like today's bird flus, does.
But Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, chief of molecular pathology department at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, notes that the bird flus have not yet spread from human to human. He hopes the 1918 virus will reveal what genetic changes can allow that to happen, helping scientists prevent a new pandemic before it starts.
Scientists said the new work was immensely important, leading the way to identifying dangerous viruses before it is too late and to finding ways to disable them.
"This is huge, huge, huge," said John Oxford, a professor of virology at London Hospital Medical College, who was not part of the research team. "It's a huge breakthrough to be able to put a searchlight on a virus that killed 50 million people. I can't think of anything bigger that's happened in virology for many years."
The 1918 flu showed how terrible that disease could be. It had been "like a dark angel hovering over us," Dr. Oxford said. The virus spread and killed with terrifying speed, preferentially striking the young and the healthy. Alfred C. Crosby, author of "America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918," wrote that it "killed more humans than any other disease in a similar duration in the history of the world."
But the research, and its publication, also raised concerns about whether scientists should publish the genetic sequence of the 1918 virus. And should they actually resurrect a killer that vanished from the earth nearly a century ago?
"It is something we take seriously," said Dr. Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which helped pay for the work. The work was extensively reviewed, he added, and the National Scientific Advisory Board for Biosecurity was asked to decide whether the results should be made public. The board "voted unanimously that the benefits outweighed the risk that it would be used in a nefarious manner," Dr. Fauci said.
Dr. D. A. Henderson, a resident scholar at the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh and a leading expert on bioterrorism, said he agreed with the decision.
"This work is of the greatest importance," he said, "and it is very important that it be published."
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Buscan combatir a ciclones con ``ciclones''

2005-10-04T17:26:00.000-04:00

gotham news
Buscan combatir a ciclones con ``ciclones''
GUY GUGLIOTTA
The Washington Post
Moshe Alamaro tiene una simple proposición. Preparar una flotilla de embarcaciones y montar en cada una de ellas de 10 a 20 motores de avión. Llenar las barcas con combustible de aviación y remolcarlas hasta un huracán que se aproxime. Encender los motores.
Si todo sale como está planeado, los motores producirán pequeñas perturbaciones ciclónicas, ''como contrafuegos'', dice Alamaro, para reducir marginalmente la temperatura de la superficie del océano y quitarle la fuente de energía al huracán que se acerca a tierra.
Menos energía significa menos fuerza y menos fuerza puede reducir la furia de huracanes como Katrina y Rita.
No está claro cuánto apoyo tiene Alamaro para su idea, que define como ''fuera de lo común'', ya que se aleja radicalmente de las ideas convencionales. Pero su interés destaca la preocupación tanto de las personas, como de los científicos, en encontrar algo --cualquier cosa-- para evitar otro 2005.
Lamentablemente, no se ve una solución en el horizonte. Mejores pronósticos meteorológicos y la llegada de imágenes por satélites han hecho los rumbos y las dimensiones de los huracanes mucho más predecibles, pero más conocimientos, aunque valiosos, no resuelven el problema. Los huracanes --como dirían los viejos boxeadores-- son como una pelea con Sugar Ray Robinson: tú sabes que te va a golpear pero no puedes hacer nada por evitarlo.
''Me atrevo a decir que a la larga lo lograremos'', dijo Kerry Emanuel, un científico atmosférico del Instituto de Tecnología de Massachusetts (MIT). Pero Emanuel se refiere a ``evitar desastres, no a controlar el tiempo''.
La clave está en introducir una ''perturbación'' en un huracán --una variación de la humedad, la velocidad del viento, la temperatura o la presión atmosférica-- a fin de que el huracán se debilite o se desvíe mar afuera. La estrategia usa el principio de que un cambio inicial pequeño en un sistema ''caótico'', como un huracán, puede tener grandes efectos positivos más tarde.
El plan de ''propulsión libre'' de Alamaro está diseñado para crear una perturbación de temperatura. Indicó que podría probar el concepto --en una remota parte del Pacífico y fuera de la temporada de huracanes-- por unos $10 millones usando motores viejos de propulsión de los B-52 almacenados en Arizona.
''Tenemos los motores y las embarcaciones, pero no los conocimientos sobre los efectos del plan'', dijo Alamaro en una entrevista telefónica. ``Una prueba proporcionaría los estudios necesarios para hacerlo factible''.
Tal vez. Alamaro, un investigador de la División de Ciencias y Tecnologías de Salud de Harvard-MIT, detalló su estrategia en la reunión anual de la Asociación de Modificación del Tiempo, en medio de ``mucha conmoción''.
Esto es, en parte, porque los científicos atmosféricos son hombres cautelosos, dijo Alamaro. ``Saben que una modificación del tiempo daría un increíble impulso a las ciencias atmosféricas, pero no quieren apoyarlo por el estigma de que es algún tipo de magia negra''.
Así es, dijo J. Greg Glenn, un individuo que estudia modificación atmosférica en la Base de la Fuerza Aérea de Eglin en la Florida, y que está interesado en enlistar a Alamaro para un proyecto de mitigación de huracanes.
''Esto no se va a descartar como ciencia barata'', dijo. Glenn no está interesado tanto en los motores de propulsión de Alamaro como en una idea promovida por Emanuel: rociar una ''capa plástica'' sobre el océano frente a un huracán para inhibir la capacidad de la tormenta de recoger energía de calor y humedad de la superficie marina.
Y Emanuel, un conocido científico atmosférico, no es fanático de la idea de Alamaro: ''No me gusta parecer pesimista, pero la estrategia de Moshe requiere muchas más magnitudes de energía, más de lo que dice, y los ``contrafuegos'' tendrían que ser casi tan fuertes como el mismo huracán'', dijo. ``Lamentablemente, creo que esto cae en la categoría de ideas locas''.

Piden a Washington que se acerque a América Latina

2005-10-04T17:08:00.000-04:00

gotham news
Gustavo Cisneros, el empresario latinoamericano más cercano a la familia Bush, pidió ayer en Miami que Estados Unidos se presente en la Cumbre de las Américas en noviembre con una propuesta bipartidista que levante los ánimos en la región, para responder a la integración hemisférica y a los desafíos del poder de China.
''Le diría [al presidente George W. Bush] que se dé cuenta que no todo es sólo Irak o Irán'', afirmó el empresario venezolano, quien fue ayer el conferencista principal en el día inaugural de la Novena Conferencia de las Américas, organizada por The Miami Herald.
``La única manera que Estados Unidos puede responder a los desafíos comerciales del creciente y saludable poder de China, es con leyes de comercio [en América Latina]''.
La alusión a Bush se produjo a una pregunta del editor de The Miami Herald, Jesús Díaz Jr., en el sentido de cuáles serán las recomendaciones que el empresario haría al mandatario estadounidense, quien acaba de confirmar su asistencia a la Cumbre de las Américas, la cual se realizará en Argentina el 4 y 5 de noviembre.
Cisneros propuso la creación de una comisión liderada por los ex presidentes George Bush y Bill Clinton, para sacar adelante las iniciativas pendientes entre Estados Unidos y Latinoamérica.
Con sus inquietudes por China y la integración comercial, Cisneros resumió el espíritu que primó ayer en las intervenciones de tres presidentes y varios expertos en América Latina en el marco de la conferencia.
''Estados Unidos no tiene que preocuparse por nuestra presencia en Latinoamérica; la competencia es parte de las reglas del sistema. Aunque me temo que siempre que queramos comerciar o invertir en algún punto de la región, algunos lo van a cuestionar'', dijo a El Nuevo Herald Jiang Shixue, el vicedirector del Instituto de Estudios Latinoamericanos de la Academia de Ciencias china.
Jiang Shixue admitió ayer ante la audiencia de la conferencia que en la región existe una especie de temor hacia el gigante asiático, por lo cual se debía entablar un diálogo.
''Esta fricción se puede eliminar con el diálogo y el entendimiento mutuo'', dijo el alto funcionario chino, quien habló en un panel dedicado al crecimiento de la presencia china en Latinoamérica. Es la primera vez que un país que no es americano es invitado a la conferencia.
El funcionario también recordó que Latinoamérica ha recobrado importancia para el mercado chino porque el país asiático ve la región como ''económicamente viable'', ''rica en recursos'' y ``una oportunidad de cabildear diplomáticamente por [la recuperación de] Taiwán''.
''Nosotros tenemos mucho que contribuir a Latinoamérica, como la realización de inversiones, el turismo, ayuda financiera, intercambio cultural, pero también podemos contribuir a la paz y a la seguridad regional'', apuntó Jiang Shixue.
En 2004, el comercio chino con Latinoamérica sobrepasó los $40,000 millones.
El alto funcionario chino admitió que Estados Unidos puede estar preocupado por el acercamiento de su país a Latinoamérica, en particular el desarrollo de los nexos con Cuba y Venezuela.
''Desde una perspectiva histórica, tenemos que recordar que fue por Cuba que China comenzó a desarrollar relaciones con Latinoamérica. Unas relaciones que se congelaron en 1965, cuando [el gobernante cubano, Fidel] Castro comenzó a criticar nuestras políticas interna y externa'', dijo.
Fue una situación derivada del hecho de que ''Rusia ayudaba más a Cuba que a China'', continuó diciendo.
''Nuestro comercio con Cuba va a seguir incrementándose; es una decisión a nivel de estado y no veo cómo pudiera detenerse'', subrayó Jiang Shixue en su entrevista con El Nuevo Herald.
En términos latinoamericanos, Jiang Shixue fue secundado por el embajador Manuel Rocha, actual administrador general de The Globis Group.
''Antes, nos gustaba decir que los rusos vendrían; ahora hay que aceptar que los chinos han llegado'', dijo el embajador, quien añadió en tono jocoso que en Latinoamérica ``la necesidad de aprender mandarín va a ser primordial si se tiene interés en el mundo de los negocios''.
En una corta conversación con El Nuevo Herald, Rocha desechó cualquier preocupación sobre la existencia de un eje China-Cuba-Venezuela, a raíz de los tratados firmados entre los tres.
''No hay tal eje, es un error afirmarlo. Categóricamente, las relaciones de Cuba con Venezuela son totalmente separadas de las que tiene China con Venezuela. Punto'', dijo.
En su opinión, es muy difícil que Caracas pueda alguna vez transformarse en un abastecedor de crudo del país asiático. ''Venezuela no tiene la capacidad de refinarlo, y colocar el petróleo en China aumentaría dramáticamente el precio'', dijo Rocha.
Es más, amplió, ``tampoco veo que Venezuela vaya a romper con Estados Unidos y dejarnos de vender petróleo para venderlo a China''.
El país asiático ``no tiene las refinerías especiales necesarias para tratar el crudo de Venezuela. Si China llega a tener relación comercial con Venezuela, será por una decisión económica y no política''.
Con relación a Cuba, Rocha recordó que el país asiático está penetrando paulatinamente en la economía del país, con inversiones en el área del níquel y las telecomunicaciones.
Incluso, ''acaba de enviar a La Habana 200 autobuses para resolver el problema del transporte'', continuó Jiang Shixue.
Por otro lado, el presidente del Ecuador, Alfredo Palacio, dijo que la inversión foránea es vital para que su país pueda sobrevivir.
''El Ecuador de hoy debe invertir en salud, educación, protección social y reactivación productiva no sólo para competir, sino también para sobrevivir'', expresó el mandatario.
Según Palacio, hoy día su país dedica el 40 por ciento de su presupuesto a pagar el servicio de la deuda externa, lo cual unido a un techo del 3.5 por ciento infranqueable por la ley de transparencia fiscal, deja apenas una pequeña banda para gasto corriente e inversión.
En contrapartida, para poder desarrollarse, el mandatario dijo que ha propuesto una reestructuración del presupuesto nacional que dedica el 35 por ciento a la reactivación productiva, el 15 por ciento a gastos de salud, igual cifra para educación y 5 por ciento para ciencia y tecnología.
En el Ecuador, ''todavía tenemos problemas del siglo XIX, y la competitividad nos impone que nuestros niños asomen al mundo de los sabios: la internet'', acotó el presidente.
Palacio recordó, además, que Ecuador es probablemente el país del continente con mayor riqueza y biodiversidad.
''Frente al Océano Pacífico y con grandes nevados, donde soplan todos los vientos y donde existe suficiente agua para generar ríos como el Guayas o el Amazonas'', no hay ''ningún país más apto para la competitividad y la globalización de hoy'', enfatizó Palacio.
Las reporteras Rocío Llanos y Nahikari Respaldiza contribuyeron a esta información.

NYC Zoning Handbook:

2005-09-28T15:55:00.000-04:00

gotham news

NYC Zoning Handbook:Special Zoning DistrictsChapter 11
The most widely used affirmative zoning technique is special district zoning. This technique permits areas with unique characteristics to flourish rather than be overwhelmed by standard development. The City Planning Commission has established special zoning districts to achieve specific planning and urban design objectives in a limited area. Each district stipulates requirements and/or provides zoning incentives for developers who provide the specific urban qualities the Commission seeks to promote in that area. It is a way of using private capital to carry out public policy.
Special Atlantic Avenue District (Brooklyn)
The Special Atlantic Avenue District was created to preserve the scale and character of Atlantic Avenue, including certain architectural features of the buildings. The special district provides flexibility in arranging building bulk, mandates street-level commercial uses and establishes design guidelines for renovation and new construction. Demolition of buildings is prohibited in the district except in the case of unsafe buildings, or to make way for a new development for which a building permit and financial commitments have been secured. To improve the visual character of the avenue, special sign regulations are imposed for commercial establishments.
Special Battery Park City District (Manhattan)
The Special Battery Park City District was created to govern extensive residential and commercial development in an area close to the business core of Lower Manhattan in accordance with a master plan for Battery Park City.
The centerpiece of the master plan is the office complex. To the north and south of this complex are two large residential neighborhoods with street-level retail uses. One major element of the plan is a continuous esplanade providing public access to the Hudson River waterfront. The district contains special design controls with respect to floor area ratio, required building walls and permissible building height.
Special Bay Ridge District (Brooklyn)
The Special Bay Ridge District was established to protect the existing scale and character of the Bay Ridge community. The special district distinguishes the scale of development in the midblock from that on the avenue frontage. The midblock street zone encourages two- and three-family homes with a maximum height of three stories. The Avenue Zone encourages the rehabilitation of existing structures and limits new development to a six- to eight-story maximum. Special setbacks, curb cuts, open space, tree planting and ground floor commercial requirements have been included to preserve the character of the existing street wall both along the avenues and side streets.
Special City Island District (the Bronx)
The Special City Island District was adopted to preserve the nautical uses and low-rise residential character of City Island. The special district regulations restrict the size and illumination of business signs, limit building heights to three- to five-stories and ensure adequate parking. The only commercial and manufacturing uses permitted are those which reflect the nautical flavor of the island or serve the retail needs of the residents.
Special Clinton District (Manhattan)
The Special Clinton District in Manhattan was created to preserve and strengthen the residential character of the community, maintain the mixture of income groups present in the area and ensure that Clinton is not adversely affected by new development.
Special Coney Island Mixed Use District (Brooklyn)
The Special Coney Island Mixed Use District was established to stabilize residential development while protecting the area's industrial base. The district allows limited new residential infill and requires special permits for large new industrial developments. Existing residential buildings are allowed enlargements, alterations and repairs, and construction of new residential buildings is allowed if the buildings are next to an existing residential or community facility use. New manufacturing is limited to certain light industries compatible with residential uses.
Special Franklin Street Mixed Use District (Brooklyn)
The Special Franklin Street Mixed Use District was established to achieve a balance between residential and industrial uses by remapping the area from an M1-1 district to an R6 (M1-1) district. The district allows residential and community facility uses according to R6 district regulations. All existing industrial uses may expand by 3,000 square feet, or 50 percent, whichever is less. A larger expansion may be granted by special permit from the City Planning Commission.
A new use group, Use Group M, has been established which allows light industries and commercial uses in Use Groups 6, 7, 9 and 11 to occupy vacant storefronts.
Special Fulton Mall District (Brooklyn)
The Special Fulton Mall District in Downtown Brooklyn was established to create an attractive shopping environment as part of a city street mall plan. Special retail use, sign, facade and circulation improvement regulations are provided. A special assessment district has been created, through state legislation, to maintain the mall.
Vehicular traffic (except buses) is prohibited within the mall. Major public amenities required within the district include: improved transit access, street furniture, street lighting, tree planting and special treatment of the sidewalks and roadbeds.
Special Garment Center District (Manhattan)
The Special Garment Center District was created to maintain the viability of apparel production in selected midblocks in the city's Garment Center by creating a Preservation Area within which the conversion of manufacturing space to office use is restricted. Conversion to office use in the Preservation Area is permitted only by certification of the City Planning Commission that an equal amount of comparable floor area has been preserved for specified manufacturing uses. The legality of this special district is currently being litigated.
Special Grand Concourse District (the Bronx)
The Special Grand Concourse District was created to protect the distinctive art deco composition and scale of the Grand Concourse by establishing bulk and design regulations and limiting commercial uses to designated locations that will not conflict with the boulevard's traditional residential character. The district consists of a Residential Preservation Area and three commercial sub-areas. New construction must conform to R8X (Alternate 1) guidelines.
Special Greenwich Street Development District (Manhattan)
The Special Greenwich Street Development District was established to foster and promote the orderly expansion of commercial development in an area of Lower Manhattan adjacent to Battery Park City and the World Trade Center.
This district attempts to implement an integrated plan for improved pedestrian and vehicular circulation and to encourage development of a variety of retail and service establishments to meet the needs of the area's working population. This is accomplished through a series of pedestrian circulation improvements and certain lot improvements in the district for which floor area bonuses are offered.
Some unique features of this district are its provisions for involving both the developer and appropriate public agencies in the construction of certain pedestrian circulation improvements.
Special Hillsides Preservation District (Staten Island)
The purpose of the Special Hillsides Preservation District is to preserve the hilly terrain and unique natural features of Staten Island by reducing hillside erosion, landslides and excessive storm water runoff. The primary concept for regulating development under this special district is the slope coverage approach: as the development site becomes steeper, the permitted building coverage decreases, but the permissible floor area on the site remains the same.
Special Hunters Point Mixed Use District (Queens)
The Special Hunters Point Mixed Use District was created to permit limited as-of-right status for the enlargement/alteration of existing residential buildings and for new infill residential construction. All residential and community facility uses are subject to R5 district regulations. In some cases, a special permit is required for certain residential and community facility uses. New manufacturing and commercial uses, or enlargement of existing buildings containing such uses, are allowed as-of-right as long as these developments or enlargements contain no residential uses and do not cause significant adverse environmental impacts. Such new developments or enlargements must meet M1 district performance standards.
The Special Court Square Subdistrict has been created within this special district to encourage high density commercial development in an area well-served by the subway system.
Special Jacob K. Javits Convention Center District (Manhattan)
The Special Jacob K. Javits Convention Center District was established to enhance the pedestrian configuration and appearance of the area surrounding the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. It is intended to promote new development compatible with the Convention Center by mandating street walls, and streetscape improvements which supplement the underlying zoning district regulations.
Pedestrian circulation improvements consist of landscaped sidewalk widenings and through-block walkways, street trees and retail frontage along Eleventh Avenue. Height and setback regulations govern all new buildings along Eleventh Avenue, the streets surrounding the Convention Center Plaza, and the through block walkways. Mandated street wall setbacks and sky exposure planes regulate the distribution of building bulk to define the public spaces on which they front and frame the edges of the Plaza.
Special Limited Commercial District (Manhattan)
The Special Limited Commercial District attempts to preserve the character of commercial areas within historic districts by restricting commercial uses to those uses compatible with the historic district, and by mandating that all commercial uses be in completely enclosed buildings. In addition, limitations are also set for the size and illumination of signs within the special district. One such special district has been mapped in Greenwich Village.
Special Lincoln Square District (Manhattan)
The Special Lincoln Square District was established to enhance the character of the area surrounding Lincoln Square as an international center for the performing arts. The district mandates the height of building walls along certain streets and the placement of arcades and types of commercial use at street level as a means of guiding the orderly redevelopment of the Lincoln Square area. The district accomplishes its objectives by offering special floor area bonuses by special permit from the City Planning Commission for new development that includes the following public amenities: mandatory arcades, subsurface concourse connections to subways or subway improvements, and lower-income housing as set forth in the provisions of Inclusionary Housing.
Special Little Italy District (Manhattan)
The Special Little Italy District was established to preserve and enhance the historic and commercial character of this community. Special use regulations protect the retail area along Mulberry Street. Other regulations encourage residential rehabilitation and new development on a scale consistent with existing buildings, discourage the demolition of noteworthy buildings, and increase the number of street trees in the area.
Special Lower Manhattan Mixed Use District
The Special Lower Manhattan Mixed Use District was enacted to permit limited residential development in an otherwise industrial 62-block area in Manhattan south of Canal Street. That portion of the district which is mapped as an overlay on existing manufacturing zones permits certain older manufacturing buildings to be converted to loft dwellings and joint living-work quarters for artists. Where the district is mapped as an overlay on existing commercial zones, new contextual residential development is also permitted. At the same time, retention of the underlying zoning protects the economic vitality of this area.
Special Madison Avenue Preservation District (Manhattan)
The Special Madison Avenue Preservation District is intended to preserve and reinforce the unique character of Madison Avenue and the surrounding area (from 61st to 96th streets). Bulk and street wall height provisions limit the height of new development to the scale of existing buildings, require a continuous building facade along Madison Avenue, mandate continuous ground floor development of selected list of appropriate shops, and require the provision of usable recreation space at rooftop levels. Within this district the maximum permissible floor are ratio is 10.0. Since building height is limited, greater building coverage is allowed.
Special Manhattan Bridge District
The Special Manhattan Bridge District was established to preserve the residential. character of this Lower Manhattan community, to minimize residential relocation on development sites and to provide for selective demolition and rehabilitation of existing buildings. A special floor area bonus is allowed for the provision of new community facility space and/or dwelling units for low- and moderate-income families. Within this district it is possible to transfer development rights from a site containing existing buildings to a new development. The district mandates that street trees be planted in connection with a new development. Unless renewed, this district will lapse September 1, 1991.
Special Manhattan Landing Development District
The Special Manhattan Landing Development District guides off-shore development from Battery Park to the Manhattan Bridge along the East River. This district is under review.
Special Midtown District (Manhattan)
The Special Midtown District was established to guide all development within the midtown central business district. The special district includes three areas of special concern that are subject to additional regulations. These subdistricts are: the Theatre Subdistrict, the Preservation Subdistrict and the Fifth Avenue Subdistrict.
The Special Midtown District has a base FAR of 15.0 along avenue frontages and an FAR of 12.0 in the midblocks. The base FAR in the Preservation Subdistrict is 8.0 in order to restrict development on the side streets surrounding the Museum of Modern Art. The base FAR of the Theatre Subdistrict core (on Broadway and Seventh Avenue frontages around Times Square) is set at 14.0 FAR, the FAR in the midblocks between Sixth and Seventh Avenues is set at 12.0 and the FAR in the midblocks between Broadway and Eighth Avenue is 10.0.
The core of the Theatre Subdistrict has the highest concentration of legitimate theaters and entertainment-related uses. The Theatre Subdistrict requires a City Planning Commission special permit for demolition of any of the 44 legitimate theaters that are not designated landmarks.
The Theatre Subdistrict has special use and signage requirements (in keeping with the character of the area). A flexible development rights transfer provision has been established for the preservation of landmark theaters. In the Theatre Subdistrict, a new building above a certain size must reserve at least five percent of its floor space (not FAR) for entertainment and theater-related uses. Areas located outside the Preservation Subdistrict and the Theatre Subdistrict are eligible for an as-of-right FAR bonus for urban plazas, through-block galleries and theater retention. The only bonus available in the Theatre Subdistrict core is the City Planning Commission special permit bonus for rehabilitation of listed theaters. The Preservation Subdistrict is not eligible for any floor area bonus. Other remaining areas can receive a floor area bonus for subway station improvements and for rehabilitation of theaters.
Certain urban design features, such as continuity of street wall and retail uses, off-street relocation of existing subway stairs, and provision of on-site pedestrian circulation spaces are mandated. The special district also includes certain use and signage controls for the Fifth Avenue and Theatre Subdistricts. Special daylight evaluation criteria are included to ensure the availability of light and air on midtown streets. The Special Midtown District represents a shift away from discretionary zoning to more predictable, as-of-right development.
Special Natural Area District (the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island)
The purpose of the Special Natural Area District is to preserve unique natural characteristics, such as aquatic, biologic, geologic and topographic features having ecological and conservation values, by reviewing all new developments and site alterations on primarily vacant land. Natural features are protected by limiting modifications in topography, by preserving tree, plant and marine life, and natural water courses, and by requiring clustered development to maximize the preservation of natural features.
Under the regulations of the special district, the City Planning Commission must certify that all new development in mapped natural area districts meets applicable preservation standards.
Special natural area districts have been mapped in the Greenbelt and Von Briesen Park areas of Staten Island, in Riverdale and in Fort Totten. These areas are endowed with steep slopes, rock outcrops, creeks, and a variety of botanic environments.
Special Northside Mixed Use District (Brooklyn)
This mixed use district is designed to meet the needs of a neighborhood where housing and industry co-exist. The City Planning Commission selectively mapped mixed use areas -- R(M) when the area is primarily residential and M(R) when it is industrial -- to allow controlled residential or light manufacturing expansion where such uses can grow and function without conflict.
R(M) and M(R) districts combine the regulations for R6 and M1 areas. In an M(R) district, manufacturing uses are permitted to develop in the same manner as in any other M1 district. Existing residences may be enlarged and new residential construction is permitted as-of-right on blocks that are already primarily residential. New residential construction is permitted on certain other sites after approval of a special permit by the City Planning Commission.
In an R(M) district, residential uses are permitted to develop in the same manner as in any other R6 district. Limited expansion of selected light industries that do not conflict with residential uses is permitted. Other industries become non-conforming and are allowed to remain but not to expand. New industrial development requires a special permit from the Commission.
Special Ocean Parkway District (Brooklyn)
The purpose of the Special Ocean Parkway District is to strengthen the existing character and quality of the community and to enhance the scenic landmark designation of Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. All new community facility developments or enlargements are limited, except by special permission, to the residential bulk regulations of the underlying districts. All developments with frontage on Ocean Parkway are required to provide a 30-foot unobstructed front yard, subject to limitations on paving and landscaping, thereby preserving the character envisioned by the original designer of the parkway. Accessory off-street parking for all new developments must be completely enclosed and all new developments along Ocean Parkway are required to provide street trees.
Special Park Improvement District (Manhattan)
The Special Park Improvement District was created to preserve the character and architectural quality of Fifth and Park Avenues. It limits the height of new buildings to 210 feet or 19 stories, whichever is less, and mandates street wall continuity.
Special Planned Community Preservation District (the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens)
The Special Planned Community Preservation District designation protects the unique character of well-planned communities that have been developed as a unit. Those communities characteristically have large landscaped open spaces and a superior relationship of buildings, open spaces, commercial uses, and pedestrian and vehicular circulation. In many cases, they have been threatened by development pressures. No demolition, new development, enlargement or alteration of landscaping or topography is permitted within the district except by special permit of the City Planning Commission. Preservation districts have been mapped in Sunnyside Gardens, Fresh Meadows, Parkchester and Harlem River Houses.
Special Scenic View District (Brooklyn)
The Special Scenic View District is intended to prevent obstruction of outstanding scenic views as seen from a public park, esplanade or mapped public place. No buildings or structures are allowed to penetrate a scenic view plane except by special permit of the City Planning Commission. To protect the waterfront view of the Lower Manhattan skyline, Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge, a special scenic view district has been mapped for the area west of the Brooklyn Heights Esplanade.
Special Sheepshead Bay District (Brooklyn)
The Special Sheepshead Bay District was devised to encourage development that will strengthen and protect the neighborhood's unique waterfront recreation and commercial character. In the area immediately north of the fishing fleet wharves, commercial uses are restricted to uses that support waterfront and tourist-related activities.
All new development along Emmons Avenue must provide widened sidewalks, street trees, and plazas which may contain sitting areas, landscaping, kiosks and cafes. Floor area bonuses are provided for plazas, arcades, usable residential open space and additional accessory commercial parking. Special density and height limits have been established. This district is under review.
Special South Richmond Development District (Staten Island)
The Special South Richmond Development District was established to guide development of predominantly vacant land in the southern half of Staten Island. The special district maintains the densities established by the underlying zones and ensures that new development is compatible with existing communities.
To maintain the existing community character, the district mandates tree preservation, planting requirements, controls on changes to the topography, height limits, and setback and curb cut restrictions along railroads and certain roads. It restricts construction within designated open space (a defined network of open space set aside for preservation in its natural state). To preserve designated open space without penalizing the owners of such space, owners are permitted to transfer development rights from the designated open space to the balance of their property. A topographic survey and a report on the availability of public services must be submitted by the developer as a prerequisite to any application for development. A performance bond must also be provided to assure continued maintenance and improvement of public open space.
Special South Street Seaport District (Manhattan)
The purpose of the Special South Street Seaport District is to facilitate the preservation and restoration of the seaport's historic buildings in accordance with an approved development plan. The low scale of the seaport is retained by transferring development rights above the low buildings to specified neighboring locations for commercial development.
Special Transit Land Use District (Manhattan)
The Special Transit Land Use District relates development along Second Avenue to a future subway line. The special district requires builders of developments adjoining subway stations to reserve space in their projects, by providing an easement, for public access to the subway or other subway-related use. The resulting new subway entrances and mezzanines would be airy, attractive and functional instead of sidewalk obstructions that impede pedestrian circulation. The district is mapped at locations between Chatham Square and East 126th Street
Special Union Square District (Manhattan)
The Special Union Square District was established to revitalize the area around Union Square by encouraging mixed use development. Its urban design provisions are designed to provide compatibility between new development, existing buildings and Union Square Park. The district mandates ground floor retail uses, off-street relocation of subway stairs and the continuity of street walls. Special streetscape and signage controls enhance the physical appearance of the district Within this district a floor area ratio bonus for subway improvements is available by special permit of the City Planning Commission.
Special United Nations Development District (Manhattan)
The Special United Nations Development District attempts to guide the development of the midtown area adjacent to the United Nations. A major feature of the district regulations is a unified design concept. The basic floor area ratio for the district was increased from 10.0 to 15.0 to promote special public amenities needed in the area and to implement the development plan.
(See Appendix E, Table 10, for more information on special districts.)

6 mortgage myths that can cost you money

2005-09-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

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6 mortgage myths that can cost you money
Buying a home is confusing enough without buying into faulty information. From down payment requirements to mortgage insurance, here's the truth about six common misbeliefs.Bankrate.com
Do you believe that you can't borrow money to buy a house if you have some dings on your credit? Do you think it's always best to pay off the mortgage early, if you can? If so, you subscribe to mortgage myths that can cost you money. Here are six common myths.Myth 1: A 30-year fixed mortgage is always best.Myth 2: Pay off that mortgage as soon as possible.Myth 3: You need a big down payment.Myth 4: You're stuck with PMI.Myth 5: Dinged credit? No mortgage for you!Myth 6: Refinancing means a new 30-year countdown.Myth 1: A 30-year fixed mortgage is always best (top)Adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, constitute one-third of home loans these days. Yet rates on 15- and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are very low by historical standards. ARM rates are even lower, but they could rise when it's time for them to adjust. "You're going to hear a lot of financial journalists who say these ARMs are dangerous, you're putting your house at risk, you're crazy to take an ARM at this time of historic lows," says Bob Walters, senior vice president for Quicken Loans. "There's a lot of emotion involved. As with any emotional argument, there's some truth in it."It's true, Walters says, that a long-term, fixed-rate mortgage is the right loan "if somebody says, 'I'm going to be in that house forever.' That's an automatic 30-year fixed."
But the average homeowner stays in the house about nine years. First-time home buyers, who usually are young and have expanding families and growing incomes, are likely to remain in their starter homes for just a few years before moving on and up.Adjustables, especially the popular hybrid adjustables that carry an introductory rate that lasts three, five, seven or 10 years, are appropriate for those whom Walters calls "upwardly mobile people, people who are transient, people for whom a payment increase wouldn't be the end of the world."Read more on this topic: What length mortgage should you get?Myth 2: You should pay off that mortgage as soon as possible (top)Accelerating mortgage payments is another area where emotion often trumps reason, Walters says. "We're not talking about finances; we're talking about psychology, or at least where the two meet," he says.Walters advises people to imagine a scenario where they have a 5% ARM and are able to deduct the interest from their federal income taxes. That lowers their effective interest rate to somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.75%. Instead of paying extra principal on such a mortgage, it makes more sense to pay down higher-interest debt, such as credit cards and auto loans, or to invest the money where it can earn a return greater than the mortgage interest rate after taxes."The way people deal with money and risk is often irrational, and they put much more of a premium on security and safety than they do on getting a return," Walters says.It's perfectly fine to pay off a mortgage early if doing so satisfies a long-term financial goal. Doug Perry, senior vice president of Countrywide Home Loans, says a lot of aging baby boomers want to eliminate their mortgage debt so they can retire debt-free. That makes sense, especially for retirees who won't exceed the standard deduction on their income taxes and therefore won't be able to deduct their mortgage interest.Read more on this topic: When paying off debt is a bad ideaMyth 3: You need a down payment of 10% or 20% (top)"The perception out there -- that you need 10% down at least, maybe 20% -- that's completely incorrect," Perry says. Many lenders have lots of loan programs for people who can afford to pay 5% down or less -- including zero down. In the mortgage industry's horse-and-buggy days, the only zero-down loan was available from the Veterans Administration. That's no longer the case."A lot of people are caught in a cycle where they're paying a lot every month for rent and are paying bills on time, and they don't have a lot of money to save," Perry says. "They think they're trapped in the renting cycle with no way out, but they have several options." That takes us to the next myth.Read more on this topic: 7 creative ways to buy your first houseMyth 4: You have to pay mortgage insurance if you don't make a 20% down payment (top)"What's called 'piggyback financing' is now almost 50% of home purchases," says Peter Bonnikson, senior vice president for E-Loan. A piggyback loan lets you avoid paying for mortgage insurance.Piggyback financing consists of two loans. The first is for 80% of the purchase price. Then there's a second "piggyback" loan for the rest of the purchase price, minus the down payment. An 80-10-10 mortgage has a 10% down payment and a 10% piggyback loan; an 80-15-5 has a 5% down payment and a 15% piggyback loan; and an 80-20 doesn't have a down payment at all.The piggyback loan has a higher rate than the primary mortgage, which covers 80% of the price. But for people with good credit, piggyback financing usually costs less than getting one mortgage for more than 80% of the price and then paying for mortgage insurance.Bonnikson favors piggyback loans because "one, they can maximize the house that they can buy, but two, they also maximize the tax deduction." That's because the mortgage interest on the piggyback loan is tax deductible, whereas mortgage insurance premiums are not. (An attempt to extend the tax deduction to mortgage insurance failed in Congress last year.)Walters says: "There's two reasons why some lenders would push people to take PMI" -- private mortgage insurance. The first reason is that the lender doesn't offer piggyback loan programs, "so limited options make for clear choices." Other lenders have investments in mortgage insurance companies, so they profit from increased business, he says.Read more on this topic: Save hundreds on your mortgageMyth 5: Dinged credit? No mortgage for you! (top)"This is a country that believes in redemption," Bonnikson says. "More and more lenders are finding ways to lend to people" with flawed credit histories. The word "subprime" is used to describe loans to people who have credit problems that are serious enough to justify charging higher rates. The lender demands a higher rate to compensate for the higher risk. About one-third of households fall into the subprime category, says David Herpers, director of consumer affairs for mortgage lender Amerisave.One or two 30-day-late credit card payments won't push you into subprime territory, but bankruptcy, foreclosure, repossession, a habit of paying bills late and even eviction from an apartment can turn you into a subprime customer. A short, sparse credit history -- a recent immigrant or a college grad -- might be counted as subprime, too."Most people start out with prime credit and something goes awry and they're considered a subprime candidate," Herpers says. "Many of the customers we deal with today are subprime and they know they're subprime and they're seeking a subprime lender today."About one-quarter to one-third of Amerisave's customers fall into the subprime category, and the company's goal is to increase that share to more than half of its business. There is a benefit to applying for a loan from a company that does prime and subprime loans: You're less likely to be steered into a mortgage with a higher rate than you deserve to pay.When a consumer applies at Herpers's company and acknowledges having credit problems, "we will pull their credit and analyze their credit, and if they can be approved for prime, we will approve them for prime," Herpers says. And someone with several late credit card payments will get a better mortgage rate than someone with a recent bankruptcy.Bonnikson says, "Lenders are looking for ways to help people who have had financial difficulties. If you have damaged credit, there are a lot of lenders who are willing to help you. My advice is you really need to do your homework and you need to talk to several lenders."Read more on this topic: 7 fast fixes for your credit scoreMyth 6: Refinancing means a new 30-year countdown (top)Lots of borrowers are reluctant to refinance because they don't want to start all over again with a new loan that's due to be paid off in 15 or 30 years. But you can ask the lender to set you up with a shorter payment schedule.Take the example of someone who got a 30-year mortgage in 1998 and wants to refinance in 2005 at a lower rate. It's a simple matter to ask the lender to amortize the payments so the new loan will be paid off in 2028, when the original loan would have been retired."Your payment will be lower than it was before, and you'll save monthly -- and over the same period of time," Walters says.Read more on this topic: Fixed vs. adjustable: Which mortgage wins?-- Holden Lewis, Bankrate.com

Kill the Light, Save a Bird

2005-09-23T15:13:00.000-04:00

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By JENNIFER 8. LEE
Published: September 23, 2005

Tourists have always flocked to see the bright lights of New York City, but starting this week, the city is dimming parts of its renowned skyline to ward off one group of visitors: migratory birds. The Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, the Citigroup Center, the Morgan Stanley Building and the World Financial Center are among the high-profile high-rises that have agreed to requests from the city and the Audubon Society to dim or turn off nonessential lighting at midnight.

Thus the city's skyscrapers will defer to nature at least twice a year: by dimming their lights in September and October, during the peak of the fall migratory season, and again in April and May, during the peak of the spring migratory season.
While the Empire State Building's lighting policy to protect migratory birds is decades old, and other buildings have used netting on glass windows so birds do not mistake reflections for sky, this policy will be the first citywide effort to protect migratory birds from crashing into buildings. The voluntary policy is aimed at buildings taller than 40 stories, as well as lower glass buildings that hug the Hudson and East Rivers, which birds use as navigational aides. About five million birds pass through New York City during migration season, according to E. J. McAdams, the executive director of the New York City Audubon Society.
The combination of glass, tall buildings and bright light is extremely dangerous for birds, according to Daniel Klem, an ornithologist at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. He says that a conservative estimate is that more than 100 million birds die each year from crashing into glass on structures of all types, even houses.
"Here is the bottom line: Birds just don't see glass," said Professor Klem. "The animals are not able to recognize glass as a barrier and avoid it."
And lights, particularly those from skyscrapers, distract migratory birds from the visual cues they receive from the stars and the moon, said Douglas Stotz, a conservation ecologist at the Field Museum in Chicago.
The bright lights of tall city buildings pull the birds off their migratory path and into urban canyons, especially when skies are foggy or overcast. Then the birds either crash into the building's glass at night because they are attracted to the light, or they circle the buildings until they become exhausted. In the morning, when they try to escape the city, they crash into the glass because they are confused by the reflection of sky.
Unless people look carefully, the dead birds can be hard to spot because many of them are small songbirds.
"They would be swept up by custodial staff," said Adrian Benepe, the New York City parks commissioner. "I've often seen them on the streets, and wondered, 'Why is this little songbird dead on the street?' "
Since 1997, Audubon Society volunteers have collected more than 4,000 dead birds of 100 different species at just a handful of buildings in Midtown and Lower Manhattan.
Toronto began a program to dim its lights in 1993, and Chicago started a voluntary program in 1999 that now includes 100 buildings. In Chicago, the Field Museum found an 80 percent reduction in bird deaths when lights were turned off during a five-year study on a single Chicago Building, McCormick Place. "When the lights are on, you get these big bird kills, and when they aren't, you don't," said Judy Pollock, director of bird conservation for the Audubon Society in Chicago.
Even with a dimmed skyline, the problem of birds crashing into glass remains. Environmental groups are working with the construction industry to come up with glass that can be seen by birds, potentially by giving the glass a UV coating.
Three real estate groups have agreed to promote the program to dim lights among their members: the Real Estate Board of New York, the Building Owners' and Managers' Association, and the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York. "We are going to make it a little safer for the birds to visit here," said Steve Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board, which represents many real estate developers. "The response that we have gotten is overwhelmingly, 'Sure.' "
Certainly lower electric bills help sell the concept. Call it saving two birds with one stone: preventing fatal bird crashes while conserving energy. Energy savings could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most buildings plan to turn off just their exterior lights, but some will also turn off interior lights and ask their tenants to draw the shades. The only buildings expected to opt out are ones that are contractually obligated to keep advertisements lighted, Mr. Spinola said.
Of the city's landmark buildings, the Empire State Building has long been aware of migratory bird problems. For at least 25 years, the building has turned off its decorative lights when large numbers of birds are observed flying around the top of the building during migration season. The circling birds are particularly common during foggy or overcast nights, said Lydia Ruth, a spokeswoman for the building.
Employees from the observatory will call down to the building engineers to tell them to shut off the lights. "We don't want to take any chances, and we don't want to cause any bird death," Ms. Ruth said. "But we have people call the next day, 'Why did you turn the lights out early?' You can't keep everybody happy."
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Intelligencer

2005-09-23T14:39:00.000-04:00

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Intelligencer
Destabilized in Tribeca
Could a landlord’s innovative eviction strategy threaten rent stabilization citywide? Or just a few artist-pioneers with good deals?

When Henry Meer opened City Hall restaurant in 1998, the menu was inspired by the city’s grand old oyster bars and steakhouses. And the location, 131 Duane Street, was redolent with history: Its fluted, cast-iron columns were forged by hand in 1863, and the former coal room under the sidewalk was perfect for a private dining room. The restaurant’s walls are lined with black-and-white photographs of pushcarts and immigrants, some from the WPA, which provided work for struggling artists in the thirties. “I wanted an environment that breathed New York,” says Meer. But his preservation impulses don’t seem to extend to his current artist tenants—most of whom are sixtysomething Tribeca pioneers who live above the restaurant. He and his partners in Duane Street Realty want to evict them to create condo lofts, or possibly a hotel, using what the rent-regulated tenants, and even Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, describe as a dodgy new tactic: the sort-of demolition.
Last spring, the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal approved Duane Street Realty’s plans based on the provision that allows landlords to kick out tenants if they’re going to demolish the building. But 131 is landmarked, so they won’t destroy the exterior, and the restaurant isn’t closing. “They’re using this to demolish the tenants,” says housing advocate Bill Hall.
This summer, Community Board 1 urged the housing commissioner to reverse her decision and recognize that the “dangerous precedent . . . threatens all residential tenants in rent-stabilized buildings.” The demolition provision was originally intended to encourage landlords to replace dilapidated buildings; even pro-business Doctoroff wrote her to say “I believe [131 Duane] should not qualify.”
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A Duane Street Realty spokesperson says tenants haven’t been open to negotiation. “We just want to keep our homes,” counters sculptor Donna Dennis, 62, who moved to Duane Street in 1973 when it was lined with abandoned shoe warehouses. “I have limited resources and I don’t have a nest egg.”
Kara Rakowski, the owners’ attorney, doesn’t consider the case dangerously “precedent-setting.” Yet in her firm’s newsletters, she’s touted the demolition strategy under such headlines as LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE! The tenants’ attorney has appealed the commissioner’s decision, and most predict the case will eventually go to State Supreme Court.
Last year, Meer said, “The sad reality is that this building needs to be upgraded.” Today, he won’t discuss it, other than to insist, “There is no connection between the restaurant and the building upstairs.” Except himself.

Your REIT Information Resource

2005-09-16T18:21:00.000-04:00

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http://www.reitnet.com/
Your REIT Information ResourceREITNet provides access to essential decision-making tools needed to critically and objectively evaluate real estate investment options (REITs). Nowhere on the Internet can you find a better collection of REIT information.
What is a REIT?
Individuals can either invest in REITs by purchasing their shares directly on an open exchange or by investing in a mutual fund that specializes in public real estate. Some REITs will invest specifically in one area of real estate, shopping malls for example, or in one specific region, state or country. Read More
FEATURED ARTICLE:REITs still a valuable investmentBy: Sarasota Herald TribuneArticle from Sarasota Herald Tribune, published by Sarasota Herald-Tribune on March 13, 2005. The length of the article is 889 words. Excerpt: In January, our outlook for REITs was one of guarded optimism. Concerned that the stocks would become pricier, and yields would be driven down because of price depreciation, we cautioned investors about a potentially rapid decline which could create an opportunity to reinvest in the sector. We were right--the sector has pulled back about 19 percent. As a result, many REITs look a lot more attractive now than they looked at the beginning of April. Through March 31, the average REIT was up 13 percent year-to-date. $5.95 - click here to order

Nationwide Survey Includes Data on Teenage Sex Habits

2005-09-16T07:50:00.000-04:00

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The National Center for Health Statistics released the government's most comprehensive survey of American sexual practices and reproductive health yesterday, delving for the first time into such sensitive areas as the prevalence of oral sex among teenagers and same-sex activity among adults.
Oral sex among teenagers has in recent years become a topic of rampant speculation and little solid data, apart from a 1995 Urban Institute study of adolescent boys. The new statistics confirm that study's findings that oral sex is very much part of the teenage sexual repertory. According to the survey, more than half of all teenagers aged 15 to 19 have engaged in oral sex - including nearly a quarter of those who have never had intercourse.
Among the findings in the new study, "Sexual Behavior and Selected Health Measures," were the following:
¶Men age 30 to 44 have had a median of six to eight sexual partners in their lifetimes; women's median was about four.
¶Among both men and women age 15 to 44, about two-thirds have had only one sexual partner in the last year. Ten percent of the men and 7 percent of the women have had three or more partners in that time.
¶About 4 percent of men and women described themselves as homosexual or bisexual, but in a finding that surprised the researchers, 14 percent of the women aged 18 to 29 reported at least one homosexual experience, more than twice the proportion for young men.
The report offers new information about homosexuality in the United States. Among adults ages 15 to 44, almost 3 percent of men and 4 percent of women reported having a sexual experience with a member of the same sex within the past year, and over their lifetimes, 6 percent of men and 11 percent of women had such experiences. About 1 percent of men and 3 percent of women had had both male and female sexual partners in the previous 12 months.
Nearly 6 percent of all men ages 15 to 44 reported having oral sex with another man at some time in their lives, and nearly 4 percent reported having anal sex with another man.
The data comes from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, a survey of 12,571 men and women ages 15 to 44. The survey contractor was the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, which trained more than 200 women to collect the data by having the subject answer sensitive questions on a computer, without revealing the answers to the interviewer.
Although the National Center for Health Statistics has periodically conducted that survey among women for 32 years, the 2002 version was the first to include both sexes, and to move beyond fertility and child-bearing into broader questions of sexual behavior and sexual orientation.
The new findings on teenagers and oral sex have been of special interest to health experts.
"After years of provocative headlines and breathless stories based mostly on anecdote, we finally have some solid data," said Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. "The news is probably not as bad as adults might have been led to believe, but it is likely not as good as most parents might wish."
The proportion of teenagers who have given or received oral sex was slightly higher than the proportion who have had intercourse, the survey found, with 55 percent of the boys and 54 percent of the girls having given or received oral sex, while 49 percent of the boys and 53 percent of the girls have had intercourse.
"One thing that surprised me is that we expected, based on anecdotal evidence, that girls might be more likely to give oral sex and boys more likely to receive it, but we didn't find that at all," said Dr. Jennifer Manlove, of Child Trends, which, like Ms. Brown's group, released an analysis of the data, "There's more gender equality than we expected."
The government data does not provide any indication of the age at which oral sex first occurred, how often it occurred, or how many partners a teen had had. But the survey found that nearly all teenagers who have had sexual intercourse have also had oral sex: 88 percent of the boys and 83 percent of the girls.
"A very significant proportion of teens has had experience with oral sex, even if they haven't had sexual intercourse and may think of themselves as virgins," Dr. Manlove said. "We're not sure whether these teens who have not had sexual intercourse are engaging in oral sex because they view it as a way to maintain their technical virginity or even because they regard it as an easy method of birth control."
While many of the findings in the government report parallel those of the last large-scale study of American sexual behavior, a 1992 study of 18- to 59-year-olds by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center, the lead author of the new study said it found a new and unexpected increase in lesbian activity among young women. It may not be such a surprise among those of college age, who speak of LUG's - lesbians until graduation.
"There are signs of change among 15- to 29-year-old women, a group of women too young to have been be included in the 1992 study," said William Mosher, the lead author.
When asked, "Have you ever had any sexual experience of any kind with any female?" 14 percent of the 18- to 29-year-old women said yes, compared with slightly under 10 percent of the 30- to 44-year-olds. That difference was surprising, Dr. Mosher said, since on questions about lifetime experience, older people usually report more than younger ones.
The study also asked about sexual attraction. Among men 18 to 44, 90 percent said they thought of themselves as heterosexual, 2 percent as homosexual, 2 percent as bisexual and 4 percent as "something else," findings similar to those in 1992.
Among women, 86 percent said they were attracted to only men and 10 percent "mostly to males." In the 1992 survey, only 3 percent said they were "mostly" attracted to males.
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The Meaning of 108

2005-09-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

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Yoga At The Speed Of LightAnd The Meaning Of 108
by Linda Johnsen
It is amazing how much Western science has taught us. Today, for example, kids in grammar school learn that the sun is 93 million miles from the earth and that the speed of light is 186,000 miles per hours. Yoga may teach us about our Higher Self, but it can't supply this kind of information about physics or astronomy.Or can it?Professor Subhash Kak of Louisiana State University recently called my attention to a remarkable statement by Sayana, a fourteenth century Indian scholar. In his commentary on a hymn in the Rig Veda, the oldest and perhaps most mystical text ever composed in India, Sayana has this to say: "With deep respect, I bow to the sun, who travels 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha."A yojana is about nine American miles; a nimesha is 16/75 of a second. Mathematically challenged readers, get out your calculators!2,202 yojanas x 9 miles x 75 - 8 nimeshas = 185,794 m.p.s.Basically, Sayana is saying that sunlight travels at 186,000 miles per second! How could a Vedic scholar who died in 1387 A.D. have known the correct figure for the speed of light? If this was just a wild guess it's the most amazing coincidence in the history of science!The yoga tradition is full of such coincidences. Take for instance the mala many yoga students wear around their neck. Since these rosaries are used to keep track of the number of mantras a person is repeating, students often ask why they have 108 beads instead of 100. Part of the reason is that the mala represent the ecliptic, the path of the sun and moon across the sky. Yogis divide the ecliptic into 27 equal sections called nakshatras, and each of these into four equal sectors called padas, or "steps," marking the 108 steps that the sun and moon take through heaven.Each is associated with a particular blessing force, with which you align yourself as you turn the beads.Traditionally, yoga students stop at the 109th "guru bead," flip the mala around in their hand, and continue reciting their mantra as they move backward through the beads. The guru bead represents the summer and winter solstices, when the sun appears to stop in its course and reverse directions. In the yoga tradition we learn that we're deeply interconnected with all of nature. Using a mala is a symbolic way of connecting ourselves with the cosmic cycles governing our universe.But Professor Kak points out other coincidences: The distance between the earth and the sun is approximately 108 times the sun's diameter. The diameter of the sun is about 108 times the earth's diameter. And the distance between the earth and the moon is 108 times the moon's diameter.Could this be the reason the ancient sages considered 108 such a sacred number? If the microcosm (us) mirrors the macrocosm (the solar system), then maybe you could say there are 108 steps between our ordinary human awareness and the divine light at the center of our being. Each time we chant another mantra as our mala beads slip through our fingers, we are taking another step toward our own inner sun.As we read through ancient Indian texts, we find so much the sages of antiquity could not possibly have known-but did. While our European and Middle Eastern ancestors claimed that the universe was created about 6,000 years ago, the yogis have always maintained that our present cosmos is billions of years old, and that it's just one of many such universes which have arisen and dissolved in the vastness of eternity.In fact the Puranas, encyclopedias of yogic lore thousands of years old, describe the birth of our solar system out of a "milk ocean," the Milky Way. Through the will of the Creator, they tell us, a vortex shaped like a lotus arose from the navel of eternity. It was called Hiranya Garbha, the shining womb. It gradually coalesced into our world, but will perish some day billions of years hence when the sun expands to many times it present size, swallowing all life on earth. In the end, the Puranas say, the ashes of the earth will be blown into space by the cosmic wind. Today we known this is a scientifically accurate, if poetic, description of the fate of our planet.The Surya Siddhanta is the oldest surviving astronomical text in the Indian tradition. Some Western scholars date it to perhaps the fifth or sixth centuries A.D., though the text itself claims to represent a tradition much, much older. It explains that the earth is shaped like a ball, and states that at the very opposite side of the planet from India is a great city where the sun is rising at the same time it sets in India. In this city, the Surya Siddhanta claims, lives a race of siddhas, or advanced spiritual adepts. If you trace the globe of the earth around to the exact opposite side of India, you'll find Mexico. Is it possible that the ancient Indians were well aware of the great sages/astronomers of Central America many centuries before Columbus discovered America?Knowing the unknowableTo us today it seems impossible that the speed of light or the fate of our solar system could be determined without advanced astronomical instruments. How could the writers of old Sanskrit texts have known the unknowable? In searching for an explanation we first need to understand that these ancient scientists were not just intellectuals, they were practicing yogis. The very first lines of the Surya Siddhanta, for of the Golden Age a great astronomer named Maya desired to learn the secrets of the heavens, so he first performed rigorous yogic practices. Then the answers to his questions appeared in his mind in an intuitive flash.Does this sound unlikely? Yoga Sutra 3:26-28 states that through, samyama (concentration, meditation, and unbroken mental absorption) on the sun, moon, and pole star, we can gain knowledge of the planets and stars. Sutra 3:33 clarifies, saying: "Through keenly developed intuition, everything can be known." Highly developed intuition is called pratibha in yoga. It is accessible only to those who have completely stilled their mind, focusing their attention on one object with laser-like intensity. Those who have limited their mind are no longer limited to the fragments of knowledge supplied by the five senses. All knowledge becomes accessible to them."There are [those] who would say that consciousness, acting on itself, can find universal knowledge," Professor Kak admits. "In fact this is the traditional Indian view."Perhaps the ancient sages didn't need advanced astronomical instruments. After all, they had yoga.Source: http://www.yimag.org

California Patrol Won't Seize Marijuana Used as Medicine

2005-08-30T07:46:00.000-04:00

gotham news
By DEAN E. MURPHY
Published: August 30, 2005
OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 29 - In a turnaround, one of the state's biggest law enforcement agencies says it is taking a hands-off approach to the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes.
The new policy, by the California Highway Patrol, states that an "individual is to be released and the marijuana is not to be seized" if the person qualifies under state law to possess marijuana for medicinal purposes. It also says that officers "shall not conduct traffic enforcement stops for the primary purpose of drug interdiction" involving the authorized use of medical marijuana.
Though data on arrests is incomplete, medical marijuana advocates say the highway patrol had been responsible for more arrests of patients and caregivers than any other agency in the state.
A spokesman for the highway patrol said on Monday that the new rules were issued last week in response to a ruling by the United States Supreme Court in June and legal action by Americans for Safe Access, an advocacy group based here in Oakland that sought a court order against the highway patrol's previous policy of arresting patients and confiscating their marijuana.
"There were numerous field inquiries in response to the Supreme Court ruling," said the spokesman, Lt. Joe Whiteford. "They wanted clarification of the law, and we wanted to make sure all of our officers are on the same page."
At a news conference here called by Americans for Safe Access, patients and their advocates described the policy change as a breakthrough and predicted other law enforcement agencies would follow suit.
"It gives us renewed confidence that it is appropriate to bring these cases to court and that good things can come from doing so," said Joe Elford, a lawyer for Americans for Safe Access, adding that the group would file more lawsuits if the highway patrol "model is not replicated" across the state.
The Supreme Court, in Gonzales v. Raich, declared in June that medical marijuana patients are subject to federal prosecution even if they live in a state that allows medicinal uses of marijuana. The decision dealt a blow to medical marijuana users around the country, but it did not overturn laws in 12 states, including California, that allow some uses of marijuana.
Though voters approved California's medical marijuana law in 1996, it was only after the Supreme Court ruling that the highway patrol got sufficient legal guidance from the state to relax its enforcement, Lieutenant Whiteford said.
"There was a lot of ambiguity in the law," he said, "so basically it made it a little tough for law enforcement to come up with a solid policy to enforce it."
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer said Mr. Lockyer sent memorandums to law enforcement agencies throughout the state reminding them "that California law still stands."
Under the California law, people can possess up to eight ounces of marijuana for medicinal purposes on the recommendation of a doctor. So-called caregivers are also permitted to possess and cultivate the marijuana for sick people.
"It was Lockyer's intention to help guide local agencies in looking at their internal policies," said the spokeswoman, Teresa Schilling.
The highway patrol's 7,100 sworn officers are responsible for enforcing traffic laws on state and county roads.
Lieutenant Whiteford said officers would still stop people if there was a "reasonable suspicion" of illegal drug activity, including driving under the influence of marijuana.
Next Article in National (6 of 15) >

Bolton throws UN summit into chaos

2005-08-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

gotham news

Bolton throws UN summit
into chaos
Bush's envoy demands
750 changes to reorganisation
plans
Julian Borger in Washington
Friday August 26, 2005
The Guardian

John Bolton,
Washington's new ambassador
to the United Nations,
has called for wholesale
changes to a draft document
due to go before a UN summit
next month
aimed at reshaping the world body.
Mr Bolton,
a long-standing UN critic
who was given a temporary
appointment by George Bush
three weeks ago
after the United States Senate
failed to agree on his nomination,
has proposed 750 amendments
to the draft
and called for immediate
talks on them.
The 29-page document
has been drawn up by a committee
under the UN general assembly president,
Jean Ping of Gambia,
over the past year,
during which time
several drafts have been circulated.
Critics complained
that the US objections
had come towards the end
of the drafting process,
with only three weeks to go
before the summit.
But Benjamin Chang,
a spokesman for the American team
at the UN,
said Mr Bolton had simply been restating
long-held US opinions.
"Those are not new positions;
surprise positions,"
he said.
"We've been engaged in this process,
since the first meeting."
The Bolton amendments,
published in the US press,
seek to play down the emphasis
given to alleviating poverty,
and expunge all references
to the millennium development goals,
including the target
for wealthy countries to donate
at least 0.7 % of national income
to the developing world.
America currently gives
less than 0.2% in such aid.
The changes would also scrap
provisions in the draft
calling for action
against global warming,
and remove endorsements
of the international criminal court
and the comprehensive test-ban treaty
- both of which are opposed
by the Bush administration.
Instead,
Washington is pushing
for more emphasis
on international measures
against terrorism
and the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Ping's office said it was setting
up a "core group"
of 30 member states,
including the US,
to begin talks on Monday
in an effort to reach
agreement on the draft
statement before the leaders
of more than 170 countries
begin arriving in New York
on September 14.
"The document was taking good shape,"
said one European diplomat.
"Of course,
we wanted to build up some parts
without watering down others,
but there is a lot of posturing
going on at the moment."
The diplomat did not attribute
the last-minute nature
of the US objections
to the arrival of the hawkish Mr Bolton,
but suggested:
"It's a question of the Americans
just getting their act together.
Instructions from Washington
keep changing."
Mr Chang said
the scale and range of the US comments
represented the administration's commitment
to the future of the organisation.
They were taking the process
"very seriously
, and we're not apologising for it",
he said.
"We are treating every step
as thoroughly as possible
because we contribute a lot to the UN
and we expect a lot
to come out of this process."
In a letter to his fellow ambassadors,
Mr Bolton was quoted
as urging quick action
on the American proposals.
"Time is short.
In order to maximise our chances of success,
I suggest we begin the negotiations immediately
- this week if possible," he wrote.
Farhan Haq,
a spokesman for the UN
secretary-general, Kofi Annan,
said ferment over the draft statement
was a positive sign.
"We actually feel fairly confident
that member states
are taking UN reform seriously,"
said Mr Haq.
"There is stepped-up activity everywhere,
and very serious high-level negotiating."
Mr Bolton has said
the US would be ready to scrap
the deal altogether
if no consensus was achieved,
leaving only a short statement
for the summit to agree on,
or to break the agreement
into sections to give member
states a choice of which
parts to support.
But a UN official said
yesterday he remained confident
that a final agreement
could be achieved in time
for the summit.
"As you get closer to crunch time,
the more likely it is that this nation
or that nation stakes out a harder position.
There's always that kind of tactical negotiation,
" he said. But he added:
"No one wants to have a stalemate
that leaves the status quo intact.
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informacion marte

2005-08-21T15:17:00.000-04:00

gotham news
"comunicado de Isabel Fuente"

Algo espectacular se aproxima
Esperemos Que las Nubes
nos permitan ver este espectáculo
El planeta rojo se verá espectacular!
Este mes y el próximo,
la Tierra está alcanzando a Marte
en un encuentro que culminará en
la más grande aproximación entre
los dos planetas,
en la historia recordada.
Lapróxima vez que Marte se acercará tanto
es en el año 2287.
Debido a que la gravedad de Júpiter
jala a Marte y perturba su órbita,
los astrónomos pueden solamente
estar seguros de que Marte no se acercó
tanto a la tierra en los últimos 5.000 años,
pero puede durar hasta 60.000 años
para que vuelva a ocurrir.
El encuentro culminará el 27 de Agosto,
cuando Marte se acercará a 34.649.589 millas de la Tierra
y será (aparte de la Luna) el más brillante cuerpo en el cielo de noche.
Llegará a tener la magnitud de -2.9 y aparecerá 25.11 arc segundos ancho.
Al modesto momento de 75-poder magnificación.
Marte se verá tan grande como la Luna llena,
a la simple vista.
Marte será fácil de ubicar.
Al principio de Agosto se levantará en el Este a las 10 p.m.
y alcanzará su azimut aprox. a las 3 a.m.
Al final de Agosto, cuando los dos planetas estarán lo más cerca,
Marte se levantará al anochecer
y llegará a su punto más alto en el cielo a las 12.30 a.m.
Eso es muy conveniente saberlo,
para ver algo que ningún ser humano vio,
en la historia recordada.
Entonces, marca tu calendario
para el principio de Agosto
y verás a Marte ponerse progresivamente
más brillante, durante el mes.
Comparte esto con tus hijos, nietos y amigos.
NADIE CON VIDA HOY,
VOLVERÁ A VER ESTO
NUNCA JAMAS.

"Isabel Fuente"

2005-08-21T14:31:00.000-04:00

gotham news

‘China may change oil price-setting formula’
BEIJING, Aug 20: China is considering a new method for setting domestic oil product prices that could lead to more frequent adjustments aimed at easing the sort of shortages that have hit the south of the country, a newspaper reported on Saturday.China has raised retail prices of diesel and gasoline three times this year, but the increases have fallen far short of the spike in global prices. This has made it difficult for China’s refiners to turn a profit and has encouraged them to boost exports at the expense of domestic sales. The result has been widespread shortages recently in the south, with drivers queueing for hours for petrol.To tackle the problem, top planners at the energy policy-setting National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) called in oil firm executives on Aug. 13, to discuss the future of its pricing system.The China Business Post said the meeting discussed updating a formula that usually leads to price changes coming at least a month apart.According to sources, the reform measures are to gradually relax the power to set oil product prices, moving from a lagging set price to a real-time price by reducing the time span from a one-month tracking method to two weeks or even less, the paper said.It implied, though did not say so explicitly, that more frequent monitoring would lead to more frequent price adjustments that would benefit oil giants such as Sinopec and PetroChinaThis will, to a certain extent, ease the pressure that state oil companies are currently facing, the paper said, adding the new formula would also make companies more aware of the need to uphold national energy security.Analysts say more frequent price adjustments would reduce the incentive to hoard fuel, one factor behind recent shortages.The official Xinhua news agency has blamed the shortages on typhoons that disrupted shipments and floods near refineries in China’s northeast. But it has also noted hoarding.China has been opening its planned economy for more than 20 years, but is reluctant to cede control of energy prices.In part this is because of fears costlier fuel could spark inflation — one of the factors behind 1989 student demonstrations that ended with a military crackdown in Tiananmen Square — or hurt vulnerable groups such as farmers.China’s economic boom also needs cheap oil.But global oil markets have surged more than 50 per cent so far this year. With China’s product prices up just 15 per cent in the same period, industry losses mounted to a net 4.19 billion yuan ($517.3 million) in the first half.Although the government owns majority stakes in Sinopec and PetroChina, both companies are listed overseas.With foreign investors scanning the balance sheets of their listed arms, analysts say the refiners are increasingly reluctant to subsidise Beijing’s policy and have sought to put pressure on the government by trimming supplies to loss-making home markets.Closed service stations and fuel rationing have plagued the manufacturing heartland of Guangdong over the past few weeks.But a senior official was quoted on Friday as saying the petrol shortages would ease soon as supplies improved.“The current domestic production, consumption, stockpile and trade of oil products are basically normal and supply can be secured. It is not possible that China will have an oil crunch,” Xinhua quoted Li Yang, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, as saying. —Reuters

[CFD_CNS] What did and did not hit the Pentagon

2005-08-21T11:17:00.000-04:00

gotham news

I AM OF THE OPINION
IT WAS A LARGE PLANE
WHICH DUE TO THE G FORCES
WAS SQUEEZED INTO THE
SHAPE OF A LARGE MISSILE
THAT SEEMS TO HAVE EMERGED
FROM THE NEARBY AREA
BUT THAT TURNS OUT
TO ALSO BE AN ILLUSION
OF THE SPEED AT WHICH
THE SMALL PLANE / LARGE MISSILE
WAS TRAVELLING
BY THE WAY...
THE FACT THAT THERE WERE
NO VISIBLE WINGS IMPACTING
THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING
IS ALSO AN ILLUSION PRODUCED
BY THE ABOVE MENTIONED
G FORCES AT PLAY HERE....

museumsalvadorrosillo@2005

Peter Hudiburg wrote:
I don't know what plane parts were found at the WTC. There are tapes onthose strikes too that show what looks to be pods below the fuselages andexplosions just before each plane struck its target. Witnesses who saw theplane that hit the south tower saw no windows in the plane, implying amilitary plane. There were witnesses recorded on mainstream media who madethose observations.And why did the buildings come straight down as if in a controlled series ofexplosions, not leaning which friends of mine were suspecting might happenwhen they were witnessing the North Tower burning intensely on the northside. They were 12 blocks away, practically underneath the north tower.Firemen who were there say that there were a series of explosives thatseemed to go off on every floor of the buildings. Number 7 came down laterin the day with only a minor fire in the upper floors after the ownerSilverstein said something like "I think we should take it down." The DVD onsome of that material is "911 in Plane Sight." I gave my copy to a friend.But don't go there directly or you will get heavily spammed with all sortsof ads and promotions. Go there thru Google.The evidence concerning the Pentagon strike is most readily persuasive ifyou look at the video and/or read the websites. Watch the video again.Peter

State Dept. Says It Warned About bin Laden in 1996By ERIC LICHTBLAU

2005-08-17T07:04:00.000-04:00

gotham news
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 - State Department analysts warned the Clinton administration in July 1996 that Osama bin Laden's move to Afghanistan would give him an even more dangerous haven as he sought to expand radical Islam "well beyond the Middle East," but the government chose not to deter the move, newly declassified documents show.
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In what would prove a prescient warning, the State Department intelligence analysts said in a top-secret assessment on Mr. bin Laden that summer that "his prolonged stay in Afghanistan - where hundreds of 'Arab mujahedeen' receive terrorist training and key extremist leaders often congregate - could prove more dangerous to U.S. interests in the long run than his three-year liaison with Khartoum," in Sudan.
The declassified documents, obtained by the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Watch as part of a Freedom of Information Act request and provided to The New York Times, shed light on a murky and controversial chapter in Mr. bin Laden's history: his relocation from Sudan to Afghanistan as the Clinton administration was striving to understand the threat he posed and explore ways of confronting him.
Before 1996, Mr. bin Laden was regarded more as a financier of terrorism than a mastermind. But the State Department assessment, which came a year before he publicly urged Muslims to attack the United States, indicated that officials suspected he was taking a more active role, including in the bombings in June 1996 that killed 19 members American soldiers at the Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Two years after the State Department's warning, with Mr. bin Laden firmly entrenched in Afghanistan and overseeing terrorist training and financing operations, Al Qaeda struck two American embassies in East Africa, leading to failed military attempts by the Clinton administration to capture or kill him in Afghanistan. Three years later, on Sept. 11, 2001, Al Qaeda struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in an operation overseen from the base in Afghanistan.
Critics of the Clinton administration have accused it of ignoring the threat posed by Mr. bin Laden in the mid-1990's while he was still in Sudan, and they point to claims by some Sudanese officials that they offered to turn him over to the Americans before ultimately expelling him in 1996 under international pressure. But Clinton administration diplomats have adamantly denied that they received such an offer, and the Sept. 11 commission concluded in one of its staff reports that it had "not found any reliable evidence to support the Sudanese claim."
The newly declassified documents do not directly address the question of whether Sudan ever offered to turn over Mr. bin Laden. But the documents go well beyond previous news and historical accounts in detailing the Clinton administration's active monitoring of Mr. bin Laden's movements and the realization that his move to Afghanistan could make him an even greater national security threat.
Several former senior officials in the Clinton administration did not return phone calls this week seeking comment on the newly declassified documents.
Adam Ereli, a spokesman for the State Department, said the documents should be viewed in the context of what was happening globally in 1996, rather than in the hindsight of events after the Sept. 11 attacks.
In 1996, Mr. Ereli said, "the question was getting him out of Sudan."
"The priority was to deny him safe haven, period, and to disrupt his activities any way you could," he continued. "There was a lot we didn't know, and the priority was to keep him on the run, keep him on guard, and try to maximize the opportunities to nail him."
Before the East Africa bombings in 1998, however, Mr. bin Laden "wasn't recognized then as the threat he is now," Mr. Ereli said. "Yes, he was a bad guy, he was a threat, but he was one of many, and by no means of the prominence that he later came to be."
The State Department assessment, written July 18, 1996, after Mr. bin Laden had been expelled from Sudan and was thought to be relocating to Afghanistan, said Afghanistan would make an "ideal haven" for Mr. bin Laden to run his financial networks and attract support from radicalized Muslims. Moreover, his wealth, his personal plane and many passports "allow him considerable freedom to travel with little fear of being intercepted or tracked," and his public statements suggested an "emboldened" man capable of "increased terrorism," the assessment said.
While a strategy of keeping Mr. bin Laden on the run could "inconvenience" him, the assessment said, "even a bin Laden on the move can retain the capability to support individuals and groups who have the motive and wherewithal to attack U.S. interests almost world-wide."
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said the declassified material released to his group "says to me that the Clinton administration knew the broad outlines in 1996 of bin Laden's capabilities and his intent, and unfortunately, almost nothing was done about it."
Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, was highly critical of President Clinton during his two terms in office. The group has also been critical of some Bush administration actions after the Sept. 11 attacks, releasing documents in March that detailed government efforts to facilitate flights out of the United States for dozens of well-connected Saudis just days after the attacks.
Michael F. Scheuer, who from 1996 to 1999 led the Central Intelligence Agency unit that tracked Mr. bin Laden, said the State Department documents reflected a keen awareness of the danger posed by Mr. bin Laden's relocation.
"The analytical side of the State Department had it exactly right - that's genius analysis," he said in an interview when told of the declassified documents. But Mr. Scheuer, who wrote a book in 2004 titled "Imperial Hubris," under the pseudonym "Anonymous," that was highly critical of American counterterrorism strategies, said many officials in the C.I.A.'s operational side thought they would have a better chance to kill Mr. bin Laden in Afghanistan than they did in Sudan because the Sudan government protected him.
"The thinking was that he was in Afghanistan, and he was dangerous, but because he was there, we had a better chance to kill him," Mr. Scheuer said. "But at the end of the day, we settled for the worst possibility - he was there and we didn't do anything."
Next Article in International (3 of 18) >

Thai satellite to offer Aust bush broadband

2005-08-11T12:02:00.000-04:00

gotham news

A rocket launch from South America has deployed a satellite that its Thai operator says will bring broadband Internet access to the remotest corners of Asia, including rural Australia.
Shin Satellite says the orbiter will deliver high-speed connectivity to Asian villages and Australian outback towns that lie far off fiber-optic cable grids, under a footprint that will stretch from India to China to New Zealand.
The company hopes to serve up to four million people across the region, with its satellite expected to stay operational in orbit for 12 years.
The service area covers 14 countries, with data routed through 18 "gateways", similar to switching stations used in telephone systems, that can be adjusted to improve or weaken the signal, the Shin Satellite spokesman said.
Gateways include Australian outback towns like Broken Hill and Kalgoorlie and major cities like Bangkok and Mumbai.
Worth more than $522 million and weighing in at 6.5 tonnes, the IPSTAR-1 is the world's largest civilian communications satellite, says the company owned by the family of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The company sold 8,136 of its special satellite dishes and modems in the second quarter of 2005, against 5,500 for all of 2004, and hopes subscriptions will sky-rocket once the service is up and running.
"With almost 20 times higher bandwidth (45 gigabits per second) than conventional satellites ... the company expects user terminal sales volume will grow exponentially after the launch," Shin Satellite said.
Receivers now sell at about $1,300, but prices are expected to fall to $390 as the number of subscribers pick up.
The satellite, built in the United States by Space Systems/Loral, was launched in French Guyana by European agency Arianespace.
-AFP

"Guinea – West Africa’s next failure?"

2005-08-10T17:04:00.000-04:00

gotham news

Observing Guinean politics usually means following the health of its ailing President, Lansana Conté, and predicting the succession battle everyone knows could turn messy. But Conté’s wellbeing is actually not the most important issue for Guinea’s future or for determining whether the country can avoid becoming Africa’s next failed state. A set of comprehensive political and economic reforms agreed by the Guinean government and supported by Conté, largely under EU pressure, will have far greater consequences in the long-run.
Conditioning aid has proven effective in Guinea’s case. The EU tied the disbursement of European Development Fund monies to minimal good governance and human rights criteria under Article 96 of the Cotonou Accords, which regulate relations between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific nations. This block on EU funds – as well as curbs on funding by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank – forced the reluctant Conakry-based government to the negotiating table last July.
The reform package, including both political changes, such as a revision of the electoral list and the creation of Guinea’s first ever electoral commission, and economic improvements, such as the elimination of crony-monopolies and the limiting of off-budget expenditures within the government, was agreed by Guinea’s leadership in December 2004.
The economic reforms may put the country back on track with the IMF, but many in Guinea remain sceptical that the government will apply the reform package to its fullest extent, saying the leadership will only do the minimum necessary to turn on the taps of international aid. These fears are well placed.
As the president’s health oscillates between bad and very bad, various interested parties gather around, with an eye either on maintaining the advantages they gained as members of the presidential clique, or picking the last remaining scraps from the carcass of what was once a robust state.
The strength of the Guinean state was both bane and blessing. Autocrat Sékou Touré, the only other leader the country has known since its independence in 1958, constructed a state that touched the lives of its citizens often in unwelcome ways: through the secret police or the onerous system that confiscated half of farmers’ produce, often to let it rot in warehouses.
The results of that socialist system are still visible in Guinea today. Informal networks, which developed to provide goods which the state could not, have become webs of smuggling and arms trading. Formerly state-owned companies have been replaced by monopolies owned by a few oligarchs close to the government. The security forces remain quick to clamp down on citizens’ civil and human rights. Yet strong national identity has helped Guinea to avoid the divisions that contributed to the wars in neighbouring countries.
The proposed reforms come at a crucial moment for Guinea. The country needs strong and transparent institutions to put a check on personalised power. If the reforms are put in place in a comprehensive manner, the autumn 2005 municipal elections could prove an important dry- run for presidential elections to replace Conté whenever he leaves power. If they are not, presidential succession is likely to follow a Togolese scenario, in which a military takeover is followed by non-transparent elections, leaving the world to choose between short-term stability and good governance. When that decision is made after the fact, short-term stability almost always wins, which means the citizens of the country in question lose.
The EU and its partners in the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States and the United Nations should begin planning now for Guinea’s next act. Financial and diplomatic support for reforms as well as uncompromising criteria for their application are the starting point of this process. They should also be making clear signals to the Guinean military that a takeover would turn Guinea into an international pariah.As long as reforms are proceeding on time, the funds should keep flowing. Prime Minister Cellou Diallo needs to show concrete benefits deriving from his push for reform, and the expeditious disbursement of monies from the European Development Fund, as well as the IMF and World Bank, will make a huge difference in guaranteeing that the reform process has popular support.
The consequences for getting it wrong in Guinea could be dramatic. Sky-rocketing inflation already compounds a high unemployment rate, especially among young men. Guinea’s often overlooked involvement in its neighbours’ wars – in Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and especially Liberia – threatens to rebound in the form of ex-combatants being recruited in Monrovia to fight in Guinea.
The EU has played a leading role in bringing a long-overdue reform agenda to Guinea. Now, it must stay engaged and maintain strong pressure over the coming months to make sure Conakry’s reform promises are fulfilled.
Mike McGovern is the West Africa project director for the International Crisis Group. www.crisisgroup.org
comments

Africa’s re-development needs: a Nigerian perspective

2005-08-10T16:57:00.000-04:00

gotham news

Nigeria is a west African giant of huge human and economic potential. What must happen to make it real? John Adeleke on seven principles for a brighter future.

Africa’s hoped-for renaissance has been the centre of attention at the G8 summit in Scotland and the mass mobilisations of protestors and campaigning groups who organised around it. In the media, negative reporting of Africa often omits the wider context and the many African success stories that exist at all levels, but no one would deny that an overflowing basket of woes blights the continent. In addressing these problems, it is vital that African voices themselves are at the centre of debate.
In this article, I highlight the problems of Africa - which in a vast continent are always particular as well as general - through the predicament of my own country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I do not claim to provide “the” answer to the issues I identify, but I trust that my observations might help chart the route to the “promised land” of justice, peace, security, and good governance.
There are seven areas where Nigerians need radical improvement in their lives.
The shackles of debt
I welcome the recent decision by the G8 states to cancel the debts of eighteen poor countries, but such “forgiveness” should be tied to good governance. Why should taxpayers’ money subsidise the profligacy of government officials and the political (or power-broking) classes of Africa?
The Nigerian political class is acquiring foreign property at a great rate, and many investigations expose cross-border money-laundering by senior government officials. This shows that Nigeria’s political class cannot be trusted to put the interests of its compatriots before its own avarice. At the same time, some state governors and federal institutions – too few, alas – show a true commitment to better governance.
Much Nigerian debt was accumulated by overbearing, corrupt governments, with the connivance of the international banking community and multilateral financial institutions, and spent on self-serving, white-elephant projects. Why should millions of citizens suffer the consequences today? In normal banking, a bad debt is written off. Where negligence, lack of professionalism or imprudent judgments are assessed to be contributory factors, heads are likely to roll within the lending institution.
Not in Nigeria. On the contrary, with the culpable leaders long gone or in blissful retirement, and the western financial institutions still buoyant, with their former officials awarded golden handshakes, it is the ordinary person on the African street who is left to pay the bill.
I believe that the Nigerian debt may be a special case. With oil revenues and external reserves at their highest ever, Nigeria could repay it. Yet the evidence is not completely clear: with poor levels of transparency and record-keeping, the true situation regarding our debt, and the bona fides of much of the lending, remains obscure. Some of the debt is held in the overseas investment portfolios of past leaders who created the problems in the first place.
Nigerians are aware that, despite repaying more than double the original debt (given accumulating interest charges), the debt overhang is worse than ever. Debt rescheduling would be unfair on future governments, but a significant review of interest payments and the format for its calculation is essential. Nigeria’s “debts” may be significantly reduced through such a legitimate review.
The trade conundrum
Trade promotion is more desirable than dependence on aid, but we must also be practical. Nigeria has to start producing. You can’t participate much in bilateral trade if you have nothing to offer (except oil). Nigerian governments constantly talk of the need to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). I often wonder if the emphasis should be on installing an economic regime which promotes a savings culture and local investment.
Perhaps Nigerians would have been better off if we had emphasised strategic outward investment in for example, the oil and gas sectors, and in end-user investments that import some of Nigeria’s agro-commodity exports. Nigerian equity holdings might then have been found in Hersheys or Cadbury’s, Pirelli and Michelin instead of Knightsbridge homes and Zurich banks.
Local investment may yet be the best form of import substitution, and if Nigerian output can absorb its 150 million people then it will surely gather a similar momentum beyond its shores. The present government bans imports wholesale as a means of promoting local production and saving foreign exchange. This is a flawed policy that will create more hardship than long-term good. The plight of the manufacturing sector owes more to the high cost of borrowing, taxation, undue harassment from revenue collectors and the poor state of infrastructure than to any lack of non-tariff barriers. If you stimulate investment and promote production in a competitive environment, my guess is that trade fundamentals will come right.
The aid trap
I can’t say no to foreign aid, but the donor syndrome is less altruistic than it seems. In many countries it’s a growth sector of the economy spawning rampant and insincere “NGO-ism”. In Nigeria, the donor economy is alongside Pentecostal churches (or “Born Again-ism”) as a major growth sector.
The aim of the donor community, it often seems, is to give with the left hand and claw back with the right. Millions of dollars are spent on consultants from the donor nations (often armed with nothing more than a briefcase and a copy of the Lonely Planet) on missionary journeys to diagnose the problems and prescribe remedies for a continent they know nothing about. What better (and more honest) way to bolster Africa’s development than by empowering its own beleaguered professionals?
There is also a problem of acquisitions. An expensive United States-branded computer from a New York supplier takes priority over a perfectly capable, locally assembled clone at a third of the price. A Maruti Jeep from India is cheaper than a Land Rover, a Mercedes or a Toyota Land Cruiser, but what self-respecting donor agency employee wants to be seen in a Maruti?
Some governments – and certainly some state governments in Nigeria – now refuse grants, mindful of the trumpeting that will follow from the “generous donor”, only for an empty project to be the end result.
The corrosion of corruption
I want to see sincere cooperation on corruption. We all know that foreign funds end up in western banks and a handful of offshore, free-banking zones. Yet Switzerland has the audacity to continue to set conditions for Nigeria to attempt to recover funds stolen by former Nigerian state leaders which the Swiss supreme court has ruled should be returned. I thought that “receiving stolen goods” was an offence, not an opportunity to preach probity to the victim?
The foreign acquisitions of Nigeria’s political class in the last six years in South Africa, Britain, the US, Spain and elsewhere show how porous the system is and how ineffective the anti-corruption crusade. But these “foreign investors” are welcomed in the estate-agencies and banking halls of Europe. This is hypocrisy. They are given visas to travel, their children enjoy the best that money can buy – and yet the G8 governments say that they want to help Africa. Or is it to help African leaders spend their way through Africa’s money?
The role of taxes
Let western taxation systems accommodate tax-deductable funds for Africa, in which Africans in the diaspora can invest overseas earnings. Let Nigerians abroad be seen to be backing Nigeria first, before we start asking strangers to keep faith with us.
Let G8 countries create, support and nurture centres of excellence within Africa and especially Nigeria, to prove to us that it is possible, even on these shores. The Lagos Business School (LBS), thanks to collaboration with Navarra University in Spain, has set a high standard as an institute of higher learning.
The need for excellence
Let’s see schools and universities being adopted by their G8 counterparts through special cooperation programmes, so that Nigerians will begin to feel proud again about being educated in Nigeria. Let’s not forget that University College Ibadan, was once an outpost of the University of London. The same cooperation could apply to hospitals. I’ve even suggested that the ministry of health in Britain (and perhaps its counterpart in France for Francophone west Africa) could establish three or four hospitals in the region to service British citizens abroad, as part of the National Health Service, and to act as benchmarks for the local health-care system.
The paths of justice
Nigeria (and I say this as a barrister) lacks a justice delivery system that can police good governance and protect the citizenry. It is painfully slow, at times corrupt, manipulated by a legal profession that has forgotten that it was once regarded as a vocation, and by a poorly paid and under-par police force, ill-equipped to investigate or protect. Presently there is no justice.
We Africans often ask ourselves: what is the litmus test to decide whether Africa is turning the corner or not? The continent has a rich culture, beautiful scenery, luxurious weather for the most part, virgin territories, great returns on investment, full, open and clear vistas of opportunity - so why are hundreds of thousands of Africans queuing up at the visa sections of the United States and European embassies across the continent every morning, struggling to get out? Why does Africa have the world’s worst refugee problem, as its citizens flee from one blighted country to the next?
Perhaps the best test of whether an African government is succeeding or not is the rate of voluntary and involuntary emigration. Nigeria’s Eleke Crescent Victoria Island (Lagos) is a clear indication that our government is failing. The army of roadsweepers, railway ticket collectors, traffic wardens and McDonalds’ bus-boys of Nigerian origin (many of whom hold academic degrees) in a city like London, is testimony to the failure of governance at home. When we see all this changing, then we know that Africa is turning a corner; then we know that a government like that of Nigeria has finally got it right, with its people voting with their feet by staying where they are.

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?rc=517197&psz=20&ptype=advSrch&pcont=results

2005-08-10T16:55:00.000-04:00

West Africa - the newest of the emerging markets

2005-08-10T16:49:00.000-04:00

gotham news

West Africa is the newest of the emerging markets and remains one of the world's best kept secrets, although not to the Commercial Service! The Commercial Service has a long history of involvement in West Africa, dating back to 1981, that has evolved into two large, regional marketing presences: in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire for the Francophone countries, and in Lagos, Nigeria, with a population of 120 million, the single largest market in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Commercial Service West African Regional Office in Abidjan covers 21 countries, stretching along the western coast of Africa from Mauritania to Congo, excluding Nigeria. The region is home to a diverse population of nearly 100 million, whose principal languages include French, English and Spanish, in addition to hundreds of native dialects. The environments vary from the arid and dusty climate of the Sahara, to the hot and humid rain forest along the coast, to the high grasses of the hilly plateau areas. The economic activities of the region are mainly agrarian, and the business climate is reminiscent of the United States "Wild West" of the 1800s, with untapped mineral and food wealth, a dozen modern ports, and a hopeful surge of democratization, privatization, and entrepreneurial enthusiasm. In recent years, oil and gas exploration efforts and large-scale mining projects have intensified and are beginning to have a substantial and positive impact on several economies. The business climate is tough, but selective marketing opportunities abound.
A unique, hands-on commercial compact is now established in the region through the U.S. Embassies, and the Commercial Service Center in Abidjan backed up by the international marketing specialists and business entry programs from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Export Assistance Centers. Country Commercial Guides with solid business-specific, trade and investment opportunity information are now available from over a dozen of the region's markets. U.S. State Department Economic/Commercial officers and their staffs continue to increase the numbers and contact quality of timely commercial insight reports. widely distributed to the Abidjan Commercial Service hub, and to all other U.S. Embassies in the West/ Central Africa region, including the Commercial Service Office in Lagos.
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Two American Commercial Service officers, with a combined West African experience of 35 years, are supported by these local teams, as they travel throughout the region implementing a dynamic, marketing-oriented program. The Commerce Department's Multilateral Development Bank Operations office (MDBO) also runs an active program in Abidjan, home to the African Development Bank. The Regional Office and MDBO combine forces whenever possible to achieve maximum impact and efficiency.
With the supportive synergy of a U.S. Commercial Service Multilateral Development Bank team located in the Abidjan Commercial Service offices, U.S. firms have their own one-stop marketing access/action shop for the region and for all Africa via ADB, World Bank, and IDA project contact data and advocacy.
Best Prospects for U.S. Sales in West Africa
computer equipment telecommunications equipment oil/gas field services equipment agricultural equipment agricultural chemicals plastics kraft paper pharmaceutical products used clothing medical equipment consumer products (electronics, packaged goods, baby items) cosmetics and hair care products
The Regional program has evolved from a largely research-oriented agenda to a coordinated, interactive marketing effort, designed to boost U.S. exports and to encourage exporter independence. The goal of the program is to position West Africa as the newest emerging international market and to publicize the tools, contacts and resources available to all U.S. companies. Key barriers to U.S. exports to West Africa include: language, close ties with Europe, limited financing options, different equipment standards, legal system differences, offbeat business practices, and uncompetitive shipping rates. Thus, an exporter is well-advised to:
* Size up the opportunities for your product or service with a review of the Country Commercial Guides and various product sector marketing reports available through the NTDB, World Wide Business Web, and/or through your nearest U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center (see pages 39-41).
* Confirm the positive indicators with a brief fax or Internet message to Commercial Service Abidjan or directly to the appropriate U.S. Embassy.
* Select one or more of the entry marketing services which best fit your budget and prospect confidence like the Agent/Distributor Service or Gold Key Program.
* For French-speaking countries, make sure your sales literature is in both French and English. Take plenty of business cards when you visit and bring along a suitcase of tenacity, patience, and a rational sense of humor. They all go a long way towards closing the deal. And remember, unlike with most developed markets, you can't do long-term business by fax, phone, or letter.
* Visit the Abidjan regional office. Take advantage of our regional marketing program, which includes:
* counseling sessions/country briefings
* coordinated research reports focusing on the best prospects for U.S. exports
* coordinated Gold Key programs
* an on-site and traveling training program involving local U.S. company and visiting U.S. exporter participation
* a bi-weekly newsletter
* "Showtime USA": a coordinated U.S. trade show recruitment effort
* Reverse Trade Missions
U.S. exporter 'success stories' are hard won but numerous. Since the January 1994 devaluation of the CFA franc, the region has seen a tremendous upswing in U.S. exports. West Africans increasingly express a preference for diversifying their supply sources and a particular preference for American products. U.S. products are perceived as being of higher quality than European products, plus many West African business people have resided in the U.S. or are frequent visitors. Thus they are familiar with and highly loyal to U.S. brand name products. From telecommunications equipment to cosmetics, from oil and gas equipment to cars and tractors, opportunities abound for U.S. companies that do their homework, maintain frequent contact, and establish a presence in the local market using a local partner.
In recent months, financing options have begun to appear as a result of the economic resurgence in the region. The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) is open to finance public and private sector transactions for Benin and Ghana, and private sector business ventures only for Cote d'Ivoire (contact Ex-Im for specific details). Venture capitalists and fund managers have targeted Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana as having the potential to provide above average returns for their clients during the next three to five years. The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) may establish a $150 million fund to promote greater U.S. company interest in the region. (The fund will cover all of Sub-Saharan Africa.) The region is home to numerous U.S., British and French commercial banks, which boast extensive retail and commercial lending operations. Finally, in anticipation of the continued economic recovery in the West African Francophone region, the Abidjan stock exchange is slated to become a regional stock exchange within two years.
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Buscan atraer más inversionistas hoteleros a Costa Rica

2005-08-09T19:46:00.000-04:00

gotham news
SAN JOSE - El Instituto Costarricense de Turismo y la Coalición Costarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo (Cinde) crearon un plan para atraer inversionistas hoteleros al país con el fin de reducir la escasez de habitaciones.
"Entre diciembre del año anterior y abril de este año 39.000 turistas no encontraron hospedaje. Necesitamos unas 1.820 habitaciones por año", dijo el martes a la AP el asesor del ministro de Turismo, Alex Jensen.
La iniciativa, prevista para cinco años, pretende atraer pequeños y medianos hoteles acordes con el modelo de desarrollo sostenible que impulsa el país.
"Nos interesa incentivar otras zonas turísticas más allá de los lugares de mayor inversión como la zona del Pacífico oeste y central así como atraer hoteles especializados en actividades de montaña y deporte de aventura", afirmó.
El primer paso del plan, es la comercialización a cargo de Cinde que comprende desde el suministro de información al empresario sobre las condiciones de inversión, terrenos hasta asesoría en trámites legales y construcción del hotel.
"Antes los inversionistas recibían información inconsistente al tener que indagar en varios lugares. Ahora contarán con mayores facilidades", expuso.
Detalló que el plan cuenta con una guía de pasos que deben cumplir los inversionistas para simplificar y unir en un solo lugar los trámites de salud, municipales y ambiente a través de una página en Internet.
Expuso que les interesa atraer inversionistas estadounidenses, europeos y sudamericanos.
Otro aporte del proyecto es una guía de necesidades, tamaño y tipo de hotel que se requiere en cada región del país según el plan nacional de desarrollo turístico.
Datos del ICT indican que Costa Rica registró durante el primer trimestre de este año 50.000 llegadas más de turistas por vía aérea en comparación con el año anterior que sumó 374.000 visitantes.
La llegada de extranjeros por mar presenta también un repunte al pasar de 446.652 a casi 506.000 en el mismo periodo. Lo mismo ocurrió vía terrestre de 117.566 a 128.263 visitantes.

Palestinian official: Pullout needs work

2005-08-08T15:51:00.000-04:00

gotham news
Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip will not mark the end of the territory's occupation because Palestinians will be unable to exercise full sovereignty, the Palestinian foreign minister says.
Nasser al-Qidwa, speaking on Monday, said Israel would retain control of the area in a number of ways.
"The Israelis are leaving the entire Gaza Strip, but Israel will maintain control of its air space, territorial waters and, partially, the crossing points," he said.
"Consequently, the movement of people and contact with the outside world will still be controlled by Israel," al-Qidwa added.
Freedom of movement
The departure of Israeli soldiers and the dismantling of illegal Jewish settlements, 38 years after soldiers first occupied Gaza, will not amount to a total end of the occupation, he said.
Palestinians fear Israel will tighten its grip on the West Bank "There will be no quick or satisfying solution for the Palestinians on matters connected to going abroad or the link between the Gaza Strip and West Bank. That needs more struggle and work," he said.
Al-Qidwa, a nephew of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, did not minimise the importance of the impending pullout, due to begin in nine days.
Jewish settlements would be out of Gaza "forever" and the pullout would deal "a heavy blow to settlements in general", he said.
No sovereignty
Many Palestinians are wary that Israel will use the pullout to strengthen its hold over Jerusalem and the West Bank, home to the vast majority of the 245,000 settlers. Officials also remain sceptical about the extent of disengagement.
Speaking to Aljazeera, the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, Abd Allah Abd Allah, said: "The legal status of Gaza is that it is under occupation since the occupation is free to return to Gaza whenever it chooses.
"They want to control the daily lives of the Palestinians in Gaza," he said.
"Israel's disengagement, the settlers' relocation, the road map and the Arab peace initiative were all designed to effect change in the status quo in the way of ending the occupation. But this is not the end of Palestinian struggle," Abd Allah said.
Al-Qidwa said Israel was refusing to remove the rubble of settler houses, which are to be bulldozed during the operation. "The question of the rubble is still a problem," he said.
"It is true that we are going to be in charge of daily life of citizens in the Gaza Strip to a large extent, but we will not have sovereignty, which comes in control of the air space, the borders and territorial waters," he added.

Discovery of Stored Fetuses and Stillborns Roils FranceBy JOHN TAGLIABUE

2005-08-06T14:09:00.000-04:00

gotham news
PARIS, Aug. 3 - The French health authorities have found the remains of 351 stillborn infants and fetuses that were stored illegally in the morgue of a prominent children's hospital, some for more than two decades, according to health officials.
The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, described the discovery as being "as surreal as it is illegal."
The government has ordered an investigation into the discovery at St. Vincent de Paul Hospital, said the minister of health, Xavier Bertrand, who described himself as "enormously shocked" by the find.
"I want to share profound emotion and indignation in the face of such a discovery," he told French television Tuesday evening. "The situation demands that we find the truth."
The discovery will almost certainly fuel a debate about the medical storage and disposal of fetuses and stillborn infants.
But it has also evoked cries from medical researchers for caution not to eliminate the availability of such remains for scientific research.
The discovery was made after two women, one in May and one in July, asked about the fate of aborted fetuses that had been sent to St. Vincent to determine the cause of abnormalities. Without the assent of the parents allowing further research, such fetuses must be cremated not long after they are aborted.
One of the women, Caroline Lemoine, 28, was quoted by French newspapers on Wednesday as saying she had undergone an abortion three years ago.
"In working through my grief, there was something I had to do, something that was rattling around in my head," Ms. Lemoine told the daily Le Parisien. "To find out if my boy had been incinerated, the way they told me he would be."
After considerable delay, she was told that her fetus was still in storage at the hospital. The explanation, she went on, was that the hospital mortuary had undergone frequent personnel changes, and that there had been "negligence," but that since the beginning of 2005 the situation was normal again.
Ms. Lemoine said she was ultimately assured that the fetus had been incinerated, and that the ashes had been strewn in the Thiais Cemetery, in the south of Paris, where a portion of the cemetery called "the corner of the angels" is reserved for the remains of fetuses and stillborn infants.
But it was not until late July that officials at the Cochin Hospital, an affiliate of St. Vincent, informed the director of the Paris hospital system of what appeared to be irregularities at St. Vincent in the storage of fetuses.
Last Friday, the director of legal affairs of the hospital system, Jean-Marc Morin, made an unannounced visit to St. Vincent with two doctors. They found a large cold storage room for the cadavers of deceased patients and adjacent rooms where the 351 fetuses or stillborn infants were found, some in sealed plastic bags and others in jars of formalin.
Jean-Marc Boulanger, the director of the city's hospital system, asked at a news conference whether the accumulation of bodies was the result of negligence or of trafficking in fetuses, replied that the investigation would look into that, though initial evidence pointed to negligence.
After an abortion, mothers want to leave the fetus behind, he said, and added, "The hospital, wanting to offer them a service, then finds itself in this situation."
Recent French legislation, enacted in 1993, requires unclaimed fetuses or stillborn infants to be buried or cremated within 10 days. Fetuses aborted before the 22nd week of pregnancy and weighing less than about 18 ounces are classified as "anatomical pieces" and may be used for experimentation, though only after the parents have given their assent.
Several medical specialists said conditions like those at St. Vincent had been fairly common before the 1993 law. Noting that St. Vincent specialized in genetic research, Axel Kahn, a geneticist, said, "It is probable that the establishment needed tissue from remains to study the causes of death, or it preserved them for a longer period for scientific research."
Preserving the remains of fetuses or stillborn infants for research purposes without approval from the parents "used to be a widespread practice," he said.
Dr. Guy-Marie Cousin, president of the National Union of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, was incensed at the public uproar. "Aside from eventual dysfunction that the investigation may turn up, I am astonished to see how astonished everyone is," he said. Research on fetuses, he told Le Monde, was "indispensable both for teaching and for research. Are we condemned to abandon it?"
Part of the investigation would be to determine whether other hospitals in France preserved large numbers of fetuses, said Mr. Bertrand, the health minister.

U.S. Company on Trial in Indonesia for Pollution

2005-08-05T15:32:00.000-04:00

gotham news
By JANE PERLEZ
Published: August 5, 2005

MANADO, Indonesia, Aug. 5 - In a muggy auditorium secured by several hundred police, the Indonesian government today brought criminal charges of polluting the environment against the American mining company Newmont, and its head of operations here.
The president of Newmont in Indonesia, Richard B. Ness, perched on a rickety office chair before a panel of five judges as prosecutors read a 72-page indictment alleging that he and the company had allowed toxic waste to be put in the sea near its gold mine at Buyat Bay, on the northern tip of Sulawesi.
The indictment cited 125 instances over the eight-year life of the mine in which the waste had exceeded government regulations on legal limits for heavy metals, including arsenic and mercury. It said the company did not have the proper license for disposing of the waste.
After the two-and-a-half hour reading of the indictment, Mr. Ness, 55, told the judges that he was not clear what crime the government was accusing him of. "We never received any notification that we violated the law," Mr. Ness said.
A team of 11 lawyers sat at the defense table, and, after the hearing, the lead lawyer, Luhut M. P. Pangaribuan, said the matter did not belong in criminal court.
The opening of the trial, an unusual case of an American corporate giant facing criminal charges in a developing country, comes after villagers at Buyat Bay complained last year of illnesses that they said were the result of the mine's operations.
Newmont, a Denver-based company and the world's biggest gold producer, has denied responsibility for the tumors, skin rashes and dizziness, saying they are common to poor coastal communities. Most of the villagers, citing fears for their health, moved away in June to another area.
An investigation by the Indonesian police that included the testing of water samples at Buyat Bay near the mine resulted in the arrest last September of five Newmont employees. They were released after a month in jail.
In this provincial city where the company has provided employment and tax revenue, the case has engendered strong feelings both for and against Newmont. Those passions skittered across the generally decorous proceedings today.
Local officials say they are in favor of the corporation, and appear uncomfortable that the national government is bringing the criminal case in their jurisdiction. Whether the case will be given a fair hearing in such an atmosphere has been raised by some government officials in Jakarta.
The judiciary here has set a leisurely pace of once-a-week hearings.
In order to accommodate large crowds, the proceedings were moved from the city's cramped courthouse to a more spacious auditorium where plastic chairs were set out for spectators. Mr. Ness's Indonesian wife, Nova, sat in the audience, along with company employees. Two diplomats from the American Embassy in Jakarta were also present.
In fact, there were more security personnel, including the black garbed, local militia, Brigade Manguni, than anybody else.
The head of the brigade, Dicky Y. Maengkom, said the chief judge, Juliana Wullur, had invited him to bring about 200 of his members who milled around outside, some of them carrying fierce-looking long rattan batons.
"We're here to support Newmont," Mr. Maengkom said.
For Indonesia's environmental community the trial's first day offered hope of change from past practices of desultory regulatory enforcement.
"For 30 years giant mining companies have operated in Indonesia with impunity despite shocking environmental practices," said Raja Siregar, the spokesman for the Indonesian Forum for the Environment. The indictment showed, he said, that the company had breached specific Indonesian laws.
One of the main contentions in the indictment revolved around how Newmont disposed of its mine waste, known as tailings, into the sea. Under a method called submarine tailing disposal the company piped the tailings into the equatorial waters about half a mile offshore at a depth of 270 feet. This method of disposal is essentially banned in the United States, according to environmental legal experts.
The government charged today that Newmont's tailings caused pollution because they were put into a "mixed layer" of mostly warm water - instead of cold, deeper water where the tailings would remain stable. At the more shallow depth, the tailings were churned by the "wave action, currents and tides" so that they spread "vertically and horizontally," the indictment said.
Newmont has said that the tailings disposal was safe and worked as planned.
On the question of a permit, the government said the company knew it had only been given a permit for six months in 2000 on the grounds that it complete an acceptable environmental risk assessment on the waste disposal for the Ministry of Environment.
The risk assessment was never completed to satisfaction and the full permit never granted, the indictment said.
The company has said that it was not informed that it did not have the required ministry permit.
Concerning the 125 times that the company is alleged to have exceeded the limits on heavy metals in the waste, Mr. Ness said the indictment used a daily calculation instead of a monthly standard called for in the regulations.
He said the company's records submitted to the government showed that it had exceeded the monthly limit once. In September 2001 the mercury in the tailings was only two micrograms above the allowed limit, he said.
Evelyn Rusli contributed reporting for this article.

Small Trade Pact Becomes a Big Political Deal

2005-07-27T06:54:00.000-04:00

gotham news
WASHINGTON, July 26 - It is a small trade agreement, affecting a volume of American exports about equal to those from New Jersey.
Yet as Congress rushes to begin its summer recess at the end of this week, President Bush will make a rare trip to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, seeking to prevent Republican defections and a possible defeat of his Central American Free Trade Agreement, or Cafta.
Democrats, including many who voted for much bigger trade agreements, are overwhelmingly opposed. Despite intense pressure from Mr. Bush and from House leaders, fewer than half the Republicans have openly pledged their support.
Both Mr. Bush and his opponents agree on one point: a vote for Cafta is about more than the $32 billion in trade between the United States and six tiny countries in Central America and the Caribbean.
For Mr. Bush, the trade pact is crucial to a broader agenda of reducing global trade barriers. White House officials say that if he were to lose this vote, the credibility of the United States in global trade negotiations would be destroyed and free trade would suffer a major setback.
Most opponents of the trade pact argue that it amounts to a dangerous precedent that would encourage companies to shift more production to countries that offer poverty-level wages and few worker protections.
White House officials and House Republican leaders have been scrambling to cut deals with one lawmaker after another to line up the 218 votes needed for final passage.
Having promised new "side agreements" to protect textile companies, they have won over at least half of the Republicans from textile states who had been against the pact.
Mr. Bush has also split lawmakers from the big sugar-producing states, even though the sugar industry remains adamantly opposed because the pact would allow slightly higher imports of sugar.
"The overall picture is that support for Cafta is growing," said Representative Adam H. Putnam, a Republican from Florida who had been opposed to the deal because of its effect on sugar producers. But now, he says, he is "leaning in favor" of it.
Pork-barrel projects could provide the margin between victory and defeat. Even as rank-and-file House Republicans agonize over the trade bill, they are nervously awaiting a $286 billion transportation bill, including about $20 billion in specially "earmarked" highway and mass transit projects many lawmakers are counting on locally.
The Central American trade pact, negotiated more than one year ago, would eliminate most trade restrictions between the United States and six countries - Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Collectively, those countries account for about $32 billion in trade with the United States, about evenly divided between exports and imports. The trade pact would be the biggest since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 that lowered barriers between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
But the economic impact on the United States would be trivial. Collectively, the six countries represent the United States' 13th largest trading partner.
Most imports from Central America are already duty-free, under provisions of the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Supporters of the new pact say it would increase American exports, especially farm products, that currently face tariffs.
In the last week or so, administration officials have placed a heavier emphasis on the political and diplomatic reasons for approving the deal.
"This is a gateway agreement," said Rob Portman, the United States trade representative, in an interview on Tuesday. "If we cannot figure out how to get to yes on Cafta, it will hurt us in other trade negotiations and tie my hands in trying to open up other markets."
But enthusiasm for the pact is limited. Only about 100 Republicans - fewer than half of the 231 Republicans in the House - have publicly declared their support or said they were "leaning in favor" of it. Of 202 Democrats, more than 130 have declared their opposition and only five have said they will support it.
Looming behind much of that sentiment is China, which already has the largest trade surplus with the United States of any country and is on track to break last year's record of $162 billion.
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primitive hunting

2005-07-16T21:45:00.000-04:00

gotham news
Primitive Hunting Weaponry:
Survival Weapons of Today
Part 1: Blowguns
By Benjamin Pressley
COPYRIGHT Benjamin Pressley 1997
Animal life is an important resource for one cast into a survival situation for food, clothing and tools. Hunting animals requires prowess, patience and the proper weapons. Being thrust into a situation where no modern gear is available is basically being thrust into a stone age level of existence. To learn which weapons are available and most effective in this situation we must look to a time when stone age subsistence was a way of life. We must look to the primitive weapons of our aborigine ancestors.
Not only does one need the proper weapons to be a good hunter, but training and familiarity with those weapons, in advance, is essential. Hunting large game cannot be the main emphasis to one who will survive either. In the true survival situation all resources for gathering meat must be considered and put to use. Trapping small game and harvesting insects are a must in most areas.
The primitive weapons discussed in this series by no means encompass all the possibilities of weaponry available to the survivalist, but were chosen because of their practicality, relative simplicity to construct and effectiveness for hunting small and large game. Weapons that will be discussed in future installments will be the atlatl, throwing stick, quickie bow and arrow, bola and sling. So, check the WINDSONG PRIMITIVES' website frequently for future installments and feel free to e-mail, or write with your questions.
Blowguns
The blowgun is a weapon that can be produced in the survival situation and is used for hunting small game, such as squirrels. It can be made from a pithy centered branch that is split and hollowed out, such as Sumac, like the Houma did, or it is most easily made from a length of River Cane, like the Cherokee. You can also use Bamboo. A good length is 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter and 4 to 8 feet long.
The blank should first be heat straightened. This is accomplished as follows: Look down the length of the piece you wish to straighten. Observe the crooked places. Hold the crooked area over a bed of coals, turning it and heating it evenly. Bend it as straight as possible and hold it till it cools and it should remain straight. Do two or three joints at a time, let cool, then come back and do two or three of the sections in between the joints and let them cool, or, do all the joints then all the sections. If you don't do it this way, a little at a time, you will find that you are working against yourself and having to restraighten the same areas over and over again.
Next, the interior wall joints must be removed. In the survival situation this is best accomplished by splitting the blank into two equal halves down the length of it and using stone flakes or grinding stones to grind them away smoothly. The two halves should then be glued back together with hide glue or pitch glue and bound with buckskin, rawhide or cordage. If you make one at home, you may wish to use a heated steel rod to burn out the sections, instead of splitting the cane and sanding the interior smoothly. Check the straightness once you have all the sections knocked out by looking down the bore. You should be able to see a circle when looking into the light. It is more important to be straight down the bore, even if the outside appears to be crooked. You may also find that looking through it as you turn it that the circle looks round at one point and not as you look through it as it turned more. This is due to the weight of the length of the blowgun. If this is the case, mark a place on top of the blowgun blank so you will know what point to have up when using the blowgun. I usually carve a small mark and then when I have the blowgun decorated like I want, hang a feather fluff on a light weight string straight down on the distal end of the blowgun as a wind direction indicator. That way when the string is hanging down, I know my point is up and am always assured of a straight bore. It is still a good idea to check for straightness, every now and then, and re-heat straighten, if necessary.
River Cane (Gigantis arundaris) is native to North America, Bamboo is its Asian cousin. River Cane is much easier to work with than Bamboo. The joints in Bamboo are thicker and can never seemingly be sanded smooth enough. A smooth bore is essential to a blowgun. There should be no left over material inside or anything to slow the exiting dart down. Because of the way the plants above grow, one end will be a slightly larger diameter than the other. The dart is placed in the larger end and exits the smaller end. This has a ‘choke’ effect on the dart causing its fletchings to really lay down and a lot of force is built up for the fastest exit possible.
The darts are made by using any lightweight, small diameter wood. Splits of River Cane or Bamboo work well. At home, using Bamboo skewers that you can purchase at your grocer works very well. I use thick walled Cane or Bamboo when I make darts from this material, so it can be rounded. Flat pieces of cane have a tendency to ‘plane’. The Cherokee used to overcome this problem by heating the shaft material and twisting it into a corkscrew. For most hunting, though, you will need a heavier shaft material. I prefer split, round diameter, straight grained hardwood. I like Locust best. Darts should be sharpened on one end and about 10 inches in length. Grind the point, rather than whittling it. It makes for a stronger, longer lasting tip. You also want to really taper the point back, if you don’t it acts like a blunt tip and doesn’t get the penetration you need. I have seen darts bounce off of squirrel hides before for this very reason. Another alternative that you probably will really find not necessary is to make a tiny point of stone or bone and hafting it in the point end of the dart.
Fletchings should cover about 4 inches of the butt end and can be made from rabbit fur, cotton, thistle down, small bird feathers and some other plant downs. When choosing fletching material, keep in mind: a) The material must be just light enough to give drag to the dart to stabilize it but not outweigh the rest of the dart; and, b) It must also be light and fluffy enough to fill the chamber of your blowgun as air is pushed through from your breath, causing it to be propelled out and yet be able to lay down aerodynamically when exiting the blowgun. Small bird feathers work well, you must use ‘fluffs’, though, or very tiny feathers, not stiff spined feathers. I really like small turkey leg feathers. Tiny feathers must be tied in, layering one row on another as described with thistle down below. Fluffs may sometimes just be tied at the top at a point a few inches from the butt end. If you use rabbit fur cut a thin strip and spiral wrap it, securing both ends. Rabbit fur is very heavy for a dart, so you will have to experiment with the weight ratio. Cotton can be secured well enough for a one shot dart by just licking the shaft of the dart and rolling it on without string, kind of like the South American aborigine does with the plant down they use. You can experiment with other downs used in this manner. Cotton works this way because of its long fibers that can be spiral wrapped around the dart, unlike Cattail down that does not work. As far as plant downs go, you will have to be very selective. Remember the purpose of the down is to carry the seed of the plant, so you will have to remove the heavy seeds and they will have to be secured in the same manner as described next with the thistle down. It cannot be just rolled in glue! Which brings us to Thistle down. Thistle down is the material of choice. Get a bulb that is dried but not opened or catch them before they open and tie them shut and allow them to dry till you’re ready to use them. Native Americans would split a piece of cane and clamp bulbs between the two halves tied together until they were ready to use it. Remove the down carefully, keeping it flat and in one line. Carefully remove the seeds, brown chaff and rough up and soften the hard areas that held the seed, while keeping tightly clamped between your thumb and forefinger. Holding a length of cordage in your mouth, with the other end secured in a notch in the butt end of the shaft of the dart you are rolling, so one hand holds the dart shaft, while the other holds the thistle down. Secure the fletching material by wrapping it with the cordage catching just enough of an edge to hold it and allow it to fluff out as you move down the entire fletching area, feeding the down into the string as you go and tie off at the end.
The dart should slide in the blowgun easily but snug. It is placed in the end you will blow, flush, point first. The blowgun is held with both hands with the elbows resting on the chest and together. The dart is then blown with a sudden burst of air after aiming at the target.
The blowgun is used in many cultures throughout the world. You will be impressed with the accuracy and distance you can achieve with it with very little practice. Everyone has seen the National Geographic specials with the South American aborigine bringing down monkeys with a poisoned dart with a blowgun ten feet long or more. Poison is not necessary, however, for most small game and as far as we know was not used in North America. Monkeys have a more complex nervous system and the additional reassurance of the poison is necessary for hunting them. Most darts are constructed heavy and long enough to bring down most small game. There are accounts of Cherokee who hunted deer with the blowgun by shooting a dart with such deadly accuracy as to pierce the eyes of the deer!
This article on blowguns is from Benjamin Pressley's book Primitive Hunting Weaponry: Survival Weapons of Today. His book also contains information on many other primitive/survival weapons like the atlatl, bola, sling, throwing stick and more. For information on ordering this book and many other books go back to the homepage and look for "Books By Benjamin Pressley".
BACK TO WINDSONG PRIMITIVES' HOMEPAGE

BLOWGUN HISTORY

2005-07-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

gotham news
BLOWGUN HISTORY
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SIZE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT CALIBER BLOWGUNS: The .40 caliber blowgun measures 3/8"; .50 caliber is 1/2" and the .62 caliber is 5/8". These measurements are based on "inside" diameter of blowgun - wall to wall.
Enter the 20th century! Terminator blowguns use precision manufactured, .40 caliber, seamless T-6061 aircraft aluminum tubing. Our blowguns come equipped with a custom manufactured, high quality, anti-inhale mouthpiece to ensure no dart inhalation and to provide maximum airflow. With all the new improvements, you can expect ranges over 250 feet and muzzle velocities as high as 350 feet per second or more! In fact, the darts can penetrate 1/4" of plywood with no problem! 100% USA made, Terminator blowguns are the highest quality blowguns made in the world and come with an exclusive.
Over 40,000 years ago, the first blowguns began to appear in many different parts of the world. Although crude, these primitive weapons were extremely accurate. It is not known exactly where blowguns originated, however, it is generally believed that they appeared simultaneously in many parts of the world. Back then blowguns were made from bamboo or other hollowed out woods. Blowguns are still used today for hunting by Amazonian Indians in South American, and by Pygmies in Africa. They were also used by the Ninja prior to 1500 in Japan for silent assassination with poison darts.

It is generally believed that blowguns appeared simultaneously in several parts of the world. Earliest evidence of blowguns appeared in parts of Africa and Asia. Blowguns are still used today by the Dyak tribe of headhunters in Borneo for hunting and as weapons in tribal wars. Using hollowed out bamboo tubes, which reach lengths of over 20 feet and darts made out of reeds, the Dyak are very capable hunters. In the tropical areas of Africa, the Pygmies use blowguns to hunt their prey of small game. Around 1500 in Japan, Ninja assassins to kill in complete silence using poisoned darts used the blowgun. The Ninja also used the blowgun for diversions by shooting darts in different directions to make the enemy believe they were surrounded.

In the America's, blowguns have been used for several thousand years by native Americans as survival weapons. Amazonian Indians today still rely on the extreme accuracy of the blowgun to hunt for wild game. Although rarely used as a weapon, blowguns do play an important role in tribal wars. North American Indians relied on the extreme accuracy of the blowgun for hunting and for skill games. The art of blowgun making is still taught to anyone wishing to learn at many Native American festivals and on reservations. Although over 40,000 years old in technology, the blowgun still holds the fascination of young and old.

Today modern man has found may uses for the blowgun. Today's hunter uses the blowgun to hunt small game silently while still-hunting larger game. Blowguns are used all over the world to help maintain wildlife by delivering tranquilizer darts in complete silence. The animals are then studied and released back into the wild. Herpetologists use the blowgun with stun darts to help them capture elusive lizards. Today, many people are finding that blowguns offer a quite challenging sport. With many different darts to choose from, blowguns are finding their way into everyday society. With the introduction of paintballs and soft-tip darts, the blowgun offers a wide variety of sporting activities.

Move to Canada?

2005-07-06T19:54:00.000-04:00

gotham news
Move to Canada?

From Jennifer & Peter Wipf,Your Guide to Immigration Issues.FREE GIFT with Newsletter! Act Now!
It Represents the Vision Liberals Have for the USA
Canada...
1)...is a peaceful nation with no enemies, good international relationships (including with Cuba), and is at minuscule risk for a terror attack.
2)...has no abortion laws whatsoever, abortion is legal, without restriction. But the rate of abortions in the country is relatively low.
3)...in many provinces, recognizes and fully accepts gay marriage as a legal institution, even for immigration purposes.
4)...has socialized medicine that Canadians report satisfaction with. No Canadian goes without health care.
5)...has no death penalty.
6)... has tough gun control laws, and, it just so happens, a murder rate about three times lower than that in U.S.
7)...has a general maternity leave of one year off for mothers, at 80 percent of their salary.
8)... has a more balanced education system, where schools in poor areas deliver the same quality of education as those in wealthy locales.
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As if that weren't enough to warrant serious thoughts of relocation by Kerry supporters, Canada is also: Culturally rich, diverse and multilingual; The per capita rate of college-educated residents is about 30 percent higher than the U.S. rate; The economy and standard of living are good; And, perhaps the clincher is that, overall, even the most conservative citizens disapprove of George W. Bush.
So How Easy is it for Americans to Migrate to Canada?Actually, it's easier than immigrating into the United States. Why? Because Canada's immigration system works on a points basis. No one criteria is demanded, rather for those without refugee or asylee status, or without family ties, a certain number of points are given for categories such as education, experience, arranged employment, age, language and adaptability. A person generally needs to accumulate 67 points to gain "landed immigrant status," which is similar to permanent resident (green card) status in the States.
In many cases, binational gay couples with no hope of being allowed to stay together in the U.S. (Because one party is not a resident), have been accepted, together as landed immigrants in Canada, basically because they had a degree and good work experience. In the U.S., only at the genius and celebrity levels do education and experience alone qualify one for a green card.
What About Other Countries? Australia is certainly a beautiful place, and English is the spoken language, but its laws are not as liberal as Canada's. Abortion is legal, but gay marriage was recently outlawed, for example. New Zealand and the U.K. are monarchies operating with a parliament, and are even less interested in constitutional changes than Australia is. They are becoming more popular among Americans who want to relocate, but not necessarily for political reasons.
Some Americans, particularly those who are independently wealthy or ready to retire, consider non-English-speaking destinations as well. There's a growing contingent of American retirees to Mexico and the Caribbean. Switzerland is also increasingly popular with Yanks; the country has three official languages (German, French, Italian) and a semiofficial language, Romanish (a mix of Roman and Latin), but English is spoken countrywide as well. As a conservative publication recently pointed out, Switzerland has the most democratic system in the world: Rather than voting for leaders who will make the laws, Swiss citizens vote on every issue up for consideration. Popular vote dictates law. This appeals more and more to the disheartened Democrat.
Dual-citizenship: But Will You Still be an American? In most countries, an immigrant can live, work and travel on a permanent resident card alone, which has no affect on citizenship status. However, citizenship has its benefits. If you want to naturalize in another country, can you stay American?
Be sure to check the local laws before making any decisions. They differ from country to country, and can change within countries from time to time. As of 2004, Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland, as well as the United States government, all allow Americans to keep their U.S. citizenship even as they naturalize in a second country.
Before the disillusioned pack their bags and head for the border though, they might want to ask themselves how active they can be in American politics from afar. Are you one of the contemplators? If so, do you want to give up hope that your vision for America is a lost cause? Are you really ready to abandon ship? If so, well, some would say "Go for it." But then you might be able to migrate and still keep the faith too. Afterall, there's always the online campaign trail. And absentee ballots.
Immigrate to Canada
Immigrate to Australia or New Zealand
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