Ecologist - Vol 29 No 6 - October 1999

Page 1

The mystery of Life

Our lives are part of a vast evolutionary plan which has been known since the dawn of civilization,

but only to a few.

Now its details are revealed in modern Theosophy,

a rich resource for inquiring minds. For further information please write to:-

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5 0 Gloucester Place, London W1H 4EA.

CORPORAT E RIGHT S O R CIVI L RIGHTS ?

Monsant o PL C v s geneti X snowbal l In April , the British High Court granted genetiX snowball campaigners - who took direct action to uproot Monsanto's genetically modified plants - a ful l court trial. I f i t takes place, this trial wil l force Monsanto to defend the legality o f its G M crop plantings in the public arena. But Monsanto have now secured a hearing in the Court o f Appeal, claiming there is no defence which could warrant a trial. I f their appeal succeeds, then the defendants' right to a full and fair trial — where experts and witnesses could be called to court to expose the damage done by G M crops - wil l be denied. The Appeal Hearing is scheduled for November 8th/9th 1999* in the High Court, The Strand, London, at 9.30 am. PLEASE COME AN D DEMONSTRATE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE DEFENDANTS. It's time to put genetics on trial. For more details, please contact: genetiX snowball, One World Centre, 6 Mount Street, Manchester. M2 5NS. Tel: 0161 834 0295. Email: genetixsno wball @ onet.co.uk Web :http ://w ww.gn. ape .org/pmhp/gs *Date to be confirmed; please call 0161 834 0295 on Friday November 5th for confirmation

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Page 335

The Ecologist

VOLUM E 2 9 No 6 OCTOBE R 199 9

Contents

Editorials 337 The Force Is With Us

Paul Kingsnorth 339 One Bird - Ten Thousand Treasures

Mae-Wan Ho 340 The Ecology of Art

John Papworth 342 Cocaine Colonialism

Third World Network 344 Gulliver in Automobilia

Nicholas Gould 346 News and Campaigns

Lucinda Labes French Farmers vs. Globalisation; Bank Warns Off GMOs; Scotland's 'Galapagos' Under Threat; The Last Jar of Caviar?; Turkish Earthquake Hopes; Thai Deforestation; WTO vs Forests 352 Letters

Features Cover Story: 356 The Enforcer: Dr Jack and the

Company He Keeps Mark Hroilingsworth Jack Cunningham, Tony Blair's 'cabinet enforcer', is a man with close links to the nuclear and biotechnology industries, a significant influence on government science policy and a dismissive attitude to the Green movement. Here, The Ecologist lays bare his connections, attitudes and environmental record.

365 The WTO and Public Health

Agnes Bertrand and Laurence Kalafatides At the WTO Millennium Round in November, the 'reform' of national healthcare systems will be on the agenda. What does this mean for the future of health policy?

SPECIAL FEATURE: The Dioxin Scandal After the Belgian dioxin crisis, where next for the chemical industry and for regulatory bodies?

369 4No-one Ever Died From Dioxin'

Ralph Ryder Dioxins have been causing major health problems in the UK for decades

K 1 t r ti 1P mm %m W m

375 Dioxins in France

Pierre-Emmanuel Neurohr The French government is valiantly ignoring the evidence of the dangers of dioxins 377 Reviews

Gods Last Offer by Ed Ayres, reviewed by Gard Binney The Symbiotic Planet by Lynn Margulis, reviewed by Peter Bunyard Imposing Economic Sanctions by Geoff Simons, reviewed by David Edwards Going Local by Michael H. Schuman, reviewed by Richard Douthwaite The Mountain by Steve Earle, reviewed by Sandy Irvine

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