From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Mon Dec 27 01:50:24 2004 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 01:50:24 -0800 Subject: [Shadow_Group] video footage in iraq Message-ID: WARNING THE FOLLOWING VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOWS VERY EXTREME VIOLENCE AND DEATH http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/12/message-from-resistance.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/12/2004%2010%2025%20resistance%20attack.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/11/Falluja11.rm http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/11/crime1.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/11/crime2.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/11/film002_2.WMV http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/11/convoy%20attack2.wmv http://207.44.245.159/video1/r35297_87992.rm http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/11/shosei-koda.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/11%20Iraqi%20National%20Guardsmen.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/Iraqi%20Islamic%20Army.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/Iraqi%20Islamic%20Army1.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/Iraqi%20Islamic%20Army2.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/c20254.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/Ambush_072704.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/turkish-truck-driverwmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/Ibrahim%20Imei.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/iraqi-ala-al-maliki-ansar-al-sunnah.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/2004%2010%2013%20mosul%20convoy.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/ramadi.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/turkish%20-kurdish%20Lungman%20hussein-beheading2.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/bigley-pleading-in-cage.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/kenneth-bigley-beheading.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/italian-ansar-ali-and-turk-execution.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/10/Barea%20Nafea%20Dawoud%20Ibrahim.wmv http://www.worldlinktv.org/mosaic/streamsArchive/streamPop.php4?caller=http://www.archive.org/download&prefix=Mosaic20041001&name=Mosaic20041001&filetype=mov http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/2004%2009%2027%20retaliation.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/jack%20hensley.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/eugene-armstrong-beheading1.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/3-kurds-beheaded.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/2004%2009%20ramada%20attack.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/2004%2009%2012%20Baghdad%20Haifa.wmv http://www.indybay.org/uploads/uncovered_the_whole_truth.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/iraqi%20resistance2.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/09/driver%20kidnapped2.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/08/nepalese-execution.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/08/Mohammed%20Mutawalliwmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/08/murat.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/07/iraqmassacre.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/07/pauljohnson.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/07/saddamtimestorture1.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/07/saddamtimestorture2.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/06/kim-sun-il.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/06/kim-sun-il%20interview.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/06/iraq%20kill.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/06/robert_jacob.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/06/loot.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/Iraq/iraq%20jail.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202004/05/american_beheading_in_iraq.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202003/2004%20january/2003%2012%2013%20civilian%20killings.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202003/2004%20january/saddam%20execution.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202003/2004%20january/iraq%20murder.wmv http://www.thenausea.com/elements/usa/iraq%202003/2004%20january/2004%2001%20iraq%20killing.wmv -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Thu Dec 30 14:04:51 2004 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 14:04:51 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] Sea Shepherd E-News 12-30 Message-ID: <20041230220451.99255.qmail@web13609.mail.yahoo.com> Sea Shepherd Conservation Society End of the Year Appeal for Funds From Captain Paul Watson Dear Friend of Sea Shepherd: As you can see from the list of accomplishments below for 2004, we were able to achieve tremendous successes for our relatively small international organization. Along with these successes have come great challenges this year for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. We were hit with a $325,000 drydock bill for repair and upkeep of our flagship the Farley Mowat, and it cost $80,000 for maintenance for the Sirenian to keep it operating in the Galapagos Islands. In addition, we were forced to pay the highest fuel prices in our history with diesel fuel jumping from around $300 per ton to a hefty $420 per ton. These severe economic blows to us for maintenance, repair, and fuel leave us struggling to raise the funds for our ships and campaigns for 2005. So yes, this is an annoying plea for funds and the last chance for a tax-deduction for 2004. Send what you can and I promise that it will be well spent, and we will once again deliver lives saved, habitats protected, and some severe knocks to those illegally exploiting life in our oceans. In 2005, we have sealers to pursue, whalers to harass, poachers to intercept, and longlines to confiscate. We have dolphin killers that need to be dealt with in Japan, and there are hundreds of issues more that we could address if only we could afford to. Your high seas navy of eco-buccaneers needs your help desperately for 2005, so please give often and give generously to keep us afloat and active out there where it counts the most ? on the water. Please visit our website to donate now and consider joining our monthly donation plan. Alternatively, you can send a check or credit card contribution to: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society P.O. Box 2616 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 Or call +1-360-370-5650 to make a donation over the phone. Sea Shepherd Summary of Accomplishments for 2004 The Galapagos National Park of Ecuador Campaign Against Poachers Our flagship Farley Mowat did a three-month patrol (April thru June) of the Galapagos Islands that resulted in our interception and arrest of three illegal fishing vessels in the Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve. We busted a Costa Rican longliner, an Ecuadorian gillnetter, and an Ecuadorian tuna seiner operated by Starkist. We turned over the longliner and the gillnetter to the Galapagos National Park. We slashed the net and released the catch of the tuna seiner, and then turned over documentation of their coordinates and evidence of their illegal activities to the National Park director for legal proceedings. During this time our crew assisted the Galapagos Park Rangers in the defense of the Park offices and the tortoise nursery from rioting fishermen who were demanding the quota on sea cucumber fishing be increased. At one point five of our crew were held hostage by the fishermen who were protesting on Isabela Island. Another five crewmembers slipped past fishermen occupying park property and gave protection to tortoises. Sea Shepherd posted a constant guard on Lonesome George, the last survivor of his sub species after fishermen threatened to kidnap and kill this ancient tortoise. The Farley Mowat transported tons of supplies to the Galapagos Island of Isabela to assist Animal Balance veterinarians spay and neuter the feral and domestic dogs and cats. The crew of the Farley Mowat confiscated numerous illegal longlines from the waters of the Pacific enroute to and from the Galapagos. Our ship Sirenian completed her fourth year of a cooperative agreement with the Galapagos National Park to patrol the Marine Reserve. According to then Galapagos National Park Director Edwin Naula, the role of the Sirenian was invaluable for enabling the rangers to enforce the law in the marine reserve. Read more at http://www.seashepherd.org/galapagos/galapagos.html Malpelo Island National Park of Colombia Campaign against Poachers The Farley Mowat patrolled the marine reserve of Malpelo National Park off the coast of Colombia where we chased a poaching vessel from the marine reserve and where our medical officer set the broken leg of a Colombian Park ranger. We located and are presently outfitting a 65? vessel, named Malpelo Defender, to deliver to Malpelo Island to assist the Malpelo National Park Rangers in defense of this incredible offshore eco-system owned by Colombia. We are also entering into an agreement with the Colombian Ministry of National Parks to assist in the protection of this precious marine reserve. Brazil Campaign Against Poachers The Farley Mowat in association with Instituto Sea Shepherd Brasil conducted a patrol along the coast of Brazil to deter poaching operations. The crew spent a month working with the park rangers of the Brazilian offshore national park of Fernando de Noronha. There we were able to recover missing buoylines and replace buoys that shield off one of the protected bays from the growing number of dolphin watching boats. This bay is the only one where hundreds of spinner dolphins gather almost every day to feed and socialize. Read more at http://www.seashepherd.org.br/. Taiji, Japan Campaign Against Dolphin Killers In 2003, Sea Shepherd sent a crew to Taiji, Japan, to free dolphins that were about to be slaughtered. Our crew returned to Taiji again this year and we were able to keep an entire pod from being killed by Japanese fishermen. We also organized an International Day of Protest against the Japanese dolphin kill. This took place in front of Japanese embassies and consulates in dozens of cities around the world. Read more at http://www.seashepherd.org/taiji/taiji.html. On the High Seas Campaign Against Longliners The crew of the Farley Mowat was able to intercept and confiscate many miles of illegally set longlines in 2004. Sea Shepherd has a policy of seizing any longlines encountered. Many animals are freed from the deadly hooks and the lines are destroyed. Read more at http://www.seashepherd.org/longline/longline.html. San Diego, California Campaign for Seal Habitat Sea Shepherd is battling the San Diego City Council to prevent the dredging of the only beach south of Los Angeles which harbor seals use as a rookery. We are working to force the City Council to abide by Federal law specifically the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Read more at http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_041014_1.html. Sea Shepherd Plans for 2005 In 2005, we intend to send the Farley Mowat to Eastern Canada to protect cod and other over-exploited fish on the Newfoundland Grand Banks, and to protect defenseless harp and hood seals on the ices floes where sealers have vowed to slaughter over 350,000 animals. We also need to keep the Sirenian operating for the final year of our contract to protect the Galapagos, and we need to deliver the Malpelo Defender to Malpelo Island. We will be sending a crew back to Japan to save more dolphins from death or captivity and we will continue our campaign to keep pressure on the dolphin killers of Taiji. I will be meeting with the President of Senegal to work out an agreement to pursue poachers off the Senegalese coast. We also need to keep up our opposition to Japanese and Norwegian whaling operations. Your much-needed donations are the support that is our lifeblood. In the spirit of the season, we hope that you will continue to help us do our best in 2005 to achieve even more than we have in the year just past. Thank you and Happy New Year, Captain Paul Watson Founder and President, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Director - Instituto Sea Shepherd Brasil National Director - Sierra Club (2003-2006) Director - Farley Mowat Institute Co-Founder/Greenpeace Foundation (1972) Co-Founder/Greenpeace International (1979) ******************************************************************************** Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the U.S. Founded in 1977 by Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd?s mission is to defend, conserve and protect marine wildlife and their ecosystems. Volunteer with Sea Shepherd http://www.seashepherd.org/volunteer.html View artwork for sale in our Fine Arts Gallery http://www.seashepherd.org/gallery.html Discover treasures in our Sea Shop http://store.estreet.com/seashepherd/StoreFront.bok Please be as generous as you can and support our efforts today! http://www.seashepherd.org/donate.html ******************************************************************************** Sea Shepherd Conservation Society PO Box 2616 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA Phone: +1-360 370-5650 Fax: +1-360-370-5651 Website: www.seashepherd.org Email: info at seashepherd.org ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Send a seasonal email greeting and help others. Do good. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Thu Dec 30 14:54:32 2004 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 14:54:32 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] (MoveOn.org) How to help with tsunami relief Message-ID: <20041230225432.84722.qmail@web13605.mail.yahoo.com> Millions of lives are on the line. The U.S. government can lead billions of dollars of aid into the tsunami relief effort, if it chooses. Let Congress and the President know that Americans are supporting strong leadership in this relief effort. Take Action Dear MoveOn member, The tsunami in southern Asia and Africa may be the worst natural disaster of our time. More than 116,000 lives were wiped out within hours. The toll in death and suffering from smashed cities, broken families, rampant disease, and crippled economies cannot even be calculated. In the face of this horror, MoveOn members have poured in requests to help, asking how we can push through our sadness and lend a hand. Rising to this challenge is at the heart of global leadership, and the world is depending on us. The U.S. government can lead billions of dollars of aid into this relief effort, if it chooses. Americans are generous and ready to step forward, but the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration have made a weak initial contribution to the effort -- first offering $15 million and then $35 million when they came under pressure. Clearly, we can do more. Let Congress and the President know that Americans are supporting strong leadership in this relief effort -- that millions of lives are at stake and we have to help. In this hour of need, if America chooses to embrace our role as a world leader, we can have an unparalleled impact. Send a message to our leaders at: http://www.moveon.org/tsunamirelief/ But we can't just wait for this Congress to move. We can help directly, as individuals, and save lives today. Our friends at Oxfam are already scrambling on the front lines to fight off starvation and disease -- and beginning to rebuild. Because Oxfam has worked for years with grassroots groups in the hardest hit areas, they were able to mobilize local leadership to help survivors immediately after the tsunami hit. And Oxfam will be there for the long-term, helping communities recover and regain their ability to meet basic needs. Oxfam needs to raise $5 million immediately to provide safe water, sanitation, food, shelter, and clothing to 36,000 families in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India. Your contribution can make this possible. Please give what you can, at: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=631 Of course, Oxfam is only one of dozens of great organizations, like UNICEF, CARE, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent, rushing to help with the immediate need. Their efforts give the victims a head start, but it won't be enough unless the great nations of the world step forward in a big way for the long-term challenges. Indonesia, by far the hardest hit country, is also the world's largest Muslim nation. Their estimated death toll stands at 85,000 -- in some areas, 1 out of 4 people have already been killed. Now it's time for America to show its true colors. We want to be known as a nation that leads the world with compassion, generosity, and community -- not with disastrous foreign military adventures. We are a nation that values human life, family, and extending freedom and opportunity to where it is most needed. We must now reach out in a serious way to do just that. The $35 million offered by the Bush administration seems like a lot of money, but it's insignificant compared to what's needed in a disaster relief effort than spans continents and is expected to be the most expensive in history. To put it in perspective, we're spending $35 million in Iraq every 7 hours. (The Bush administration is about to ask for another $80 billion to cover the next installment of this tragic occupation.)1 We can and will do better. Thanks for doing your part to show the true generosity of the American spirit. Sincerely, --Adam, Ben, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Justin, Laura, Mari, Noah, Rosalyn, and Wes The MoveOn.org Team December 30th, 2004 P.S. Just as we were finalizing this email, we received a note from 17-year-old MoveOn member Annalise Blum, who has a great idea for New Year's Eve parties. Here's her email: Dear Joan and Wes, We arrived in Cambodia today and turned on the TV in our hotel room to learn more about the Tsunami. It has been horrifying to follow the rising death toll and especially learn about all of the children who have died. I really wanted to do something when I learned that just as many more people could die from lack of access to clean water and the spread of disease if not enough is done quickly. I realized that New Years Eve Parties would be a perfect place to have people contribute online to the relief effort. Someone in our group came up with the name "Throw out a lifeline Online." If MoveOn were to send out a message to its members suggesting that they turn on a computer and donate money to one of the relief organizations at their new years eves parties, it could save thousands of lives. Maybe this sort of message would be a welcome opportunity for its members to help people directly. I would greatly appreciate anything you could do to help. Below I have written a message I am planning send to my friends. MoveOn, if interested, could send out something similar. Throw Out A Lifeline Online Help the Victims of the South Asian Tsunami As most of you undoubtedly know, many parts of the eastern coastal regions of South Asia were hit on Sunday, December 26th, with one of the largest tsunamis in recent history. The death toll of the tsunami, caused by an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude, has already risen to over 60,000 people. All regions affected are in desperate need of clean water, food, temporary shelter and medical help to the survivors. Some estimate that one third of the dead are children. World Health Organization expert David Nabarro told reporters "there is certainly a chance that we could have as many dying from communicable diseases as from the tsunami". Start this year off by contributing money to an effective aid organization to prevent this humanitarian catastrophe from getting even worse. If you are going to a New Year's Eve Party, make it meaningful by turning on a computer and encouraging everyone to donate. Footnote: 1. Bush Says America Will Lead Global Relief Effort, Washington Post, December 30, 2004 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33290-2004Dec29.html --------------------------------- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Send holiday email and support a worthy cause. Do good. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! ? What will yours do? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Thu Dec 30 15:33:49 2004 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:33:49 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] =?iso-8859-1?q?Panasonic=92s_car_runs_on_two_AA_ba?= =?iso-8859-1?q?tteries!?= Message-ID: <20041230233349.27594.qmail@web13604.mail.yahoo.com> http://www.motortrader.com.my/NUS/articles/0/article_132/page_m.asp Panasonic?s car runs on two AA batteries! No, this is not one of those jokes that circulate around the Net and it?s not a radio-controlled model car. Panasonic has developed a prototype ?car? which has travelled some distance ? with a full-sized human on board ? and its source of electrical power has been just two AA batteries like the ones you put in a torch. The machine, known as the ?Oxyride?, was built for the purpose of demonstrating the performance of the new range of Panasonic ?Digital Xtreme Power? alkaline batteries. These new batteries use a modified alkaline chemistry and a combination of newly developed materials for the cathode - Oxy Nickel Hydroxide and new technologically developed manganese dioxide and graphite. A ?Tablet Mix Control System? controls and increases the amount of these materials per battery in order to raise the discharge performance. Additionally, a new vacuum pouring technology allows inserting a higher quantity of electrolyte in the battery, thus creating higher durability. The combination of these technological developments is claimed to result in the improved power performance and durability that characterises the new battery. To prove its point about the new batteries? performance, Panasonic put two into a 2900 mm long 3-wheeled prototype weighing 18.5 kgs to power an electric motor. The prototype also had a 50-kg driver on board and covered 65 metres in 74 seconds, continuing to travel 1.23 kms before the batteries ran out of power. Will your descendants be going around in AA-powered cars and pop into a 7-11 whenever they need additional power? Nothing?s impossible but it may take quite some time for that scenario to become reality. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Send holiday email and support a worthy cause. Do good. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Thu Dec 30 15:35:43 2004 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:35:43 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] Germany shines a beam on the future of energy Message-ID: <20041230233543.33985.qmail@web13621.mail.yahoo.com> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/20/MNGRAAEL4B1.DTL Germany shines a beam on the future of energy Nation gambles on amped-up push for renewable power Robert Collier, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, December 20, 2004 Muhlhausen, Germany -- A solar-power project built by a Berkeley company may point Germany toward a pollution-free future. Set in the heart of Bavarian farmland, the 30-acre facility went online earlier this month, becoming the biggest solar energy plant in the world. For the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the Muhlhausen solar farm represents a gamble that Germany, the world's third biggest economy, can replace its principal energy sources -- coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear power -- with clean, safe and renewable alternatives. "There's a huge amount of opportunity here in Germany because the government has created a system that encourages large installations," said Thomas Dinwoodie, chief executive officer of PowerLight Corp. of Berkeley, which built and operates the Muhlhausen facility and two other solar parks nearby. Germany's approach is being closely watched by officials in California and elsewhere as a possible model for developing renewable energy. PowerLight's three Bavarian solar parks, consisting of 57,600 silicon-and- aluminum panels, will generate 10 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 9,000 German homes. The amount of electricity produced is much less than power plants fueled by coal or natural gas, but with very low operating costs, the solar project is expected quickly to turn a profit while emitting zero pollution. Schroeder's left-of-center Social Democrat-Green coalition has turned Germany into the world leader in renewable energy since it took office in 1998. Billions of dollars have been spent on wind and solar projects, and Schroeder, in a politically risky move, has sharply increased taxes on petroleum products in an attempt to reduce consumption of conventional fuels. The campaign accelerated a year ago when Germany enacted a law forcing electric utility companies -- and, ultimately, all electricity users -- to pay higher rates to businesses or individuals who generate solar or wind energy and feed it back into the grid. With this guarantee of revenue, solar panels have become commonplace on new German houses and huge new windmills are a typical sight in rural areas, especially in the more windy north. "This is part of our commitment as a government, to make Germany the world leader in alternative energy and in taking action against global warming, " said Juergen Trittin, Germany's environment minister. "We are willing to do what is necessary." The country is now the No. 1 world producer of wind energy, with more than 16,000 windmills generating 39 percent of the world total, and it is fast closing in on Japan for the lead in solar power. Wind and solar energy together provide more than 10 percent of the nation's electricity, a rate that is expected to double by 2020. It has become a profitable business, too, with about 60,000 people employed in the design and manufacture of wind and solar energy equipment. Energy analysts and industry executives alike say that California, which leads other U.S. states in renewable energy development, is looking to Germany as a laboratory of what works and what doesn't. Yet even Germany's chief booster of renewable energy warns that the lessons are mixed. "This has a political cost," said Trittin, who cheerfully admitted in an interview that he is "probably one of the less popular" politicians in the country. According to recent public opinion polls, close to 80 percent of Germans support the government's strategy of promoting renewable energy sources and its staunch advocacy of the Kyoto Protocol's obligations to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Public support is markedly less, however, for the other key element of the government's anti-oil program. Under a separate law enacted in 1999, gasoline taxes are increasing by 3 euro cents per liter per year -- about 15 U.S. cents per gallon -- provoking howls from commuters and truckers. "The German people broadly support alternative energy, but Trittin has pushed the limits of that support," said Michael Kohlhaas, an energy policy analyst at the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin. Increasing numbers of Germans are even finding the ever-present windmills an eyesore. "Opposition to wind farms is growing fast, but none of the major political parties are prepared to listen to voters' concerns," said Hans- Joachim Mengel, a political science professor at Berlin Free University. "They are ideologically committed to wind as a source of alternative energy and don't want it questioned." In September, Mengel ran a quixotic independent campaign for state assembly in Brandenburg, on the Berlin outskirts. Running on an anti-wind platform, he beat all expectations by winning 19 percent of the vote. "A few people make money from (wind power), but everybody else gets nothing," he said. "Why should I sacrifice my landscape so that Herr Mueller down the road can make money by leasing out his land for a wind park?" Germany's use of alternative energy puts it far in front of environmentally conscious California, where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a vocal proponent of renewable fuel sources. On Dec. 13, California officials set a goal of 1 million buildings in California powered by solar energy by 2018, including half of all new homes. They did not offer details of how the target will be achieved, though officials said they are considering a charge on electricity bills to pay for up to $1 billion for investment credits to solar manufacturers and for an extension of existing income and property tax credits to homeowners who install solar panels. Increasing numbers of U.S. businesses have joined environmental groups to push President Bush to embrace alternative energy. Instead, the administration has blocked attempts in Congress to adopt specific goals and timelines for increasing renewable sources and has emphasized oil, natural gas and coal exploration. "Germany's policy is a more mixed and balanced strategy than to look under the sands of the Arabian peninsula," Trittin said, referring to U.S. reliance on Persian Gulf oil. "This is more the European way. There are 6 billion people on this globe. You will not solve our need for energy with fossil fuels or nuclear plants. You will do it by substituting with renewables. " But Germany's experience suggests that the profit motive is the key -- alternative energy sectors grow fastest when users are able to make money on the energy they generate. A law that has been in effect for a year stipulates that the nation's electric utility companies must buy all wind and solar power generated by residential, commercial and industrial users at a price 10 times higher than the rate that users are charged for the electricity provided by the utilities from coal, nuclear or natural gas plants. Enticed by the guarantee of selling electricity at 46 euro cents (about 62 U.S. cents) per kilowatt hour for the next 20 years, as stipulated by the new rule, Berkeley's PowerLight Corp. needed no further prompting. CEO Dinwoodie went to a large investment bank in Frankfurt, Deutsche Structured Finance, and got a $65 million investment. "The financers don't care about solar per se, and that's why this system works here," said Dinwoodie. "This is conventional financing, this is the market itself working. There is no government spending." Dinwoodie is so bullish on Germany that he opened an office in the small city of Regensburg, near the Muhlhausen project, and his wife and two children moved from Berkeley in August to live with him there. He now is busy lining up new solar investment projects around the country. Under California utility regulations, by contrast, users are only able to draw their bills down to zero, with no profit possible. As a result, solar installations are small and large commercial facilities like PowerLight's Muhlhausen farm are impossible. "California at one time led the world in renewable energy development, but we gave up that role two decades ago," said Paul Gipe, a wind policy expert from Kern County. Gipe is currently in Canada as acting executive director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, working with the provincial government to enact a German-style system of preferential pricing for renewable energy. "Germany has picked up that banner and is running with it," Gipe said. "Germany now has the manufacturing jobs that California once had. If we want these manufacturing jobs, then we'd better look at what the Germans are doing, and the simplest thing to do is simply translate the German policy into English and put it into effect." Other analysts are more cautious. Mark Levine, director of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said that California has gone further than Europe in making its factories and commercial buildings more energy-efficient, yet Germany leads the state by far in wind and solar. "Germany's policies are not going to be a direct model for California because our political situations are so different," he said. "But Europe has taken major steps recently, and Germany most of all, largely because of its commitment under Kyoto. People are watching carefully." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Jazz up your holiday email with celebrity designs. Learn more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Thu Dec 30 15:36:47 2004 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:36:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] How Much Is Nature Worth? Message-ID: <20041230233647.39561.qmail@web13626.mail.yahoo.com> http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6765703/ How Much Is Nature Worth? For Gretchen C. Daily, a pristine forest isn't just a pretty place. It's also a provider of valuable services, from flood control to climate stabilization. A Stanford University biologist and author of The New Economy of Nature: The Quest to Make Conservation Profitable, Daily is a pioneer in a new kind of economics, identifying and placing quantifiable values on ecosystem services -- the benefits that nature provides to people. In a new paper, for instance, Daily and colleagues show that tropical rain forests are of considerable value to coffee growers because pollination by bees coming from nearby forests boosts coffee yields and quality. She recently spoke with BusinessWeek Senior Correspondent John Carey about her economic approach to conservation and examples of economic value to be found in ecosystems. Following are edited excerpts: Q: As I recall, the idea of putting economic values on ecosystems has been controversial. Why? A: People in the conservation community have been very nervous of taking this route of trying to value nature, fearing that would lead down a slippery slope because a shopping mall would always out-value the wetlands it replaced. I got the argument that I was jumping in bed with the devil. But I thought we were only getting so far with the ethical argument [for preserving natural places]. Now the conservation community is making a shift. They're seeing that the economic values of ecosystem services are high enough to make a difference. The other expectation was that we had to get a precise value. People in the conservation community objected to that, saying that it's absurd to capture the full value of a pristine forest. But what we're seeing now is that even if we get a partial value of an ecosystem, it can be very useful. Q: What's a good example? A: The New York City Catskills [mountains] case. New York has some of the cleanest water in the world, but it was going down in quality because of development [around the reservoirs and water sources]. The city faced a choice of a $6 billion to $8 billion filtration plant or investing $1 billion to $1.5 billion in ecosystem capital. They chose investing in ecosystem capital. Q: Which means what, exactly? A: They're buying land close to open water and restoring it, putting in wetlands, which filter the water. They're paying to upgrade septic systems and change forestry practices, and to put in development compatible with water quality. Q: And the result? A: There are three wins: New York City is getting clean water at the lowest possible cost, people upstate are being rewarded for good stewardship, and the Catskills are being protected. Q: What are some of the other valuable services that ecosystems provide? A: The main ones are water purification -- a huge one -- flood control, climate stabilization, pollination [because two-thirds of the world's crops require an animal pollinator], and pest control. Another big set of things is the production of goods, like seafood, timber, and drugs. One hundred eighteen of the 150 most important drugs owe their origins to plants. Q: How different would economic and political decisions be if the value of these services were included? A: I think it would make an absolutely stunning difference in the way we thought about the world. Right now a lot of people see nature as just vacant land, and conservation largely as a thing to do on a charitable basis. But in fact, all that vacant open space is working all the time for human benefit. Recognizing that would bring really dramatic changes in the way we do things. We could suddenly see we're liquidating one of our most valuable assets. Q: Have any countries started to take this approach? A: There are two places, Costa Rica and Australia, which have gone a long way in incorporating ecosystem capital in making decisions. Since 1997, Costa Rica has been paying individual landowners for the conservation and restoration of tropical rain forest, investing in four different classes of ecosystem services: climate stabilization through uptake of CO2, hydrological services [improving drinking water quality, controlling sediments and water purity for hydropower and irrigation, and reducing runoff], preserving biodiversity for agriculture and potential pharmaceuticals, and preserving scenic beauty. Since they implemented this policy, deforestation rates have gone from one of the highest to one of the lowest. And there's a net increase in forest cover. It's absolutely stunning how they've turned things around. In Australia, the one massive environmental problem that has captured everyone's attention is salinity. The native eucalyptus tress were deeply rooted and kept the water table low, keeping the salts in the soil deep down in the soil and out of the reach of most plants. When the trees were cleared, their pumping action stopped, allowing the salts to rise and causing $600 million to $1 billion [Australian dollars] damage to farmland. Now there's a whole new vision of what a farm business looks like. Farmers would make half their income from selling products like wheat and wool. The other half will come from selling new types of ecosystem services, such as replanting native vegetation for salinity control or carbon sequestration. Copyright ? 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Send a seasonal email greeting and help others. Do good. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Sat Jan 1 12:04:28 2005 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2005 12:04:28 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] Animals Appear to Have Escaped Wave in Sri Lanka Message-ID: <20050101200428.62583.qmail@web13625.mail.yahoo.com> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Sat Jan 1 12:07:58 2005 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2005 12:07:58 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] Animals Appear to Have Escaped Wave in Sri Lanka (with story) Message-ID: <20050101200758.62869.qmail@web13625.mail.yahoo.com> Animals appear to have escaped massive deaths THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 30, 2004 YALA NATIONAL PARK, Sri Lanka - Wildlife officials in Sri Lanka expressed surprise yesterday that they found no evidence of large-scale animal deaths from the tsunamis - indicating that animals may have sensed the wave coming and fled to higher ground. An Associated Press photographer who flew over Sri Lanka's Yala National Park in an air force helicopter saw abundant wildlife, including elephants, buffalo, deer, and not a single animal corpse. Floodwaters from Sunday's tsunami swept into the park, uprooting trees and toppling cars onto their roofs - one red car even ended up on top of a huge tree - but the animals apparently were not harmed and may have sought out high ground, said Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, whose Jetwing Eco Holidays ran a hotel in the park. "This is very interesting. I am finding bodies of humans, but I have yet to see a dead animal," said Wijeyeratne, whose hotel in the park was destroyed. "Maybe what we think is true, that animals have a sixth sense." Yala, Sri Lanka's largest wildlife reserve, is home to 200 Asian elephants, crocodile, wild boar, water buffalo and gray langur monkeys. The park also has Asia's highest concentration of leopards. It covers 391 square miles, but only 56 square miles are open to tourists. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Sun Jan 2 01:34:56 2005 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 01:34:56 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] The Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004 Message-ID: <20050102093456.20757.qmail@web13608.mail.yahoo.com> FOCUS | The Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004 http://www.truthout.org/docs_05/010205X.shtml ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? All your favorites on one personal page ? Try My Yahoo! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Sun Jan 2 02:00:02 2005 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 02:00:02 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] File - (ALF) Animal Liberation Front Message-ID: <20050102100002.14303.qmail@web13602.mail.yahoo.com> THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF HELL "We have enslaved the rest of animal creation and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form." William Ralph Inge Each day we butcher millions of other sentient beings because we like the taste of their flesh. The functional development and intensity of suffering of our victims tend to match the capacities of human infants and toddlers. The contrast in our attitude and behaviour toward them could scarcely be greater. Imagine the anguish caused by an oxyacetylene torch applied, if only to a few seconds, to your child's face. Unspeakably appalling? Yet each day we pay - by our choice in food purchases - to have other living creatures treated no less abominably. An over-statement? Surely factory-farming and the apparatus of mechanised killing, even in their worst excesses, are rarely that bad? No, in a sense the reality is worse. What it feels like for our victims is more terrible than we can typically imagine. In fact, on the few occasions in life when pain that's even relatively severe strikes us down personally, we are shocked. The casual use of the word "pain" evokes only a pale shadow of the frightfulness of the experience that lies behind it. Severe pain really is uniquely awful. Only the state-dependence of memory helps us forget just how bad pain can be. The problem is not that our everyday language is emotive. It's that we can't use it to be emotive enough. Jewish writer Hanna Arendt once wrote of the "banality of evil". For most of the Nazi bureaucrats who actually organised the human Holocaust were not sadistic psychopaths in the usual sense of the term. Many were devoted husbands, loving fathers and cultivated family men. They were motivated by a distorted sense of duty rather than a relish for bloodshed or suffering for its own sake. Somehow it seems the "dissociation of sensibility" between their feelings and the effects of their actions was complete. The same is true of most of our own vivisectors, abattoir managers and the bureaucrats in charge of the mass-killing apparatus. So they shouldn't be demonised. But they must still be stopped. Would global veganism ensure a cruelty-free world? No, not by itself. Life in a state of Nature is often little kinder than a life of barbarous abuse by Man. Should we respect the ways of Nature simply because they are "natural"? Or is homage to the pain-ridden products of selfish genes as harmful a superstition as any? In one sense, after all, animals no more need liberating than babies and toddlers need liberating: they need looking after. Thus The Hedonistic Imperative argues that there is only one long-term way to abolish the ghastliness of suffering on a planetary scale. Such a strategy entails eradicating its biological roots. This can be done only by using genetic-engineering and nanotechnology. This major transition in the evolution of life will replace the DNA-driven pain and malaise of our evolutionary past. The molecular architecture of the old Darwinian Era will be succeeded by modes of consciousness that are more beautiful than anything we can currently imagine. Counter-intuitively, the world's last unpleasant experience - probably some (relatively) minor pain in some (to us) obscure marine invertebrate - will be a well-defined event. It will be as precisely dateable as any other historical milestone; and far more important. For it will mark the end of the ugliest chapter in the history of life on earth. Some people who care deeply about animals are still shocked at the implications of such an ambitious species-project. Many animal-lovers would oppose the loss, for instance, of the symbolically-charged big predators in their traditional guise - in spite of the cruelty and suffering inflicted on the weak, the old and the vulnerable that their present carnivorous habits entail. Indeed to anyone of a humanistic or spirituo-religious disposition, the blueprint to put an end to the primeval DNA regime might seem the vision of a soulless technocrat. Yet there's nothing soulful about rampant, pointless and utterly out-of-control suffering. The much-advertised "Death of God" shouldn't spell the loss of paradise, too; and there is only one scientifically literate way its promise is ever going to be realised. So what can be done right now? Fighting the ideology that sustains the vast apparatus of oppression is indeed vital; but shutting down the apparatus itself is what counts. Here, without addition or alteration, are the Animal Rights FAQ and the ALF FAQ. Their presence on this site should in no way be taken to sanction or condone any of my views. D.P. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Animal Liberation by Peter Singer (rev.ed. 1995) ISBN: 07126744446 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.) Frequently Asked Questions by the North American A.L.F. Supporters Group What is the Animal Liberation Front? The Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.) carries out direct action against animal abuse in the form of rescuing animals and causing financial loss to animal exploiters, usually through the damage and destruction of property. The A.L.F.'s short-term aim is to save as many animals as possible and directly disrupt the practice of animal abuse. Their long term aim is to end all animal suffering by forcing animal abuse companies out of business. It is a non-violent campaign, activists taking all precautions not to harm any animal (human or otherwise). Because A.L.F. actions are against the law, activists work anonymously, either in small groups or individually, and do not have any centralized organization or co-ordination. The Animal Liberation Front consists of small autonomous groups of people all over the world who carry out direct action according to the A.L.F. guidelines. Any group of people who are vegetarians or vegans and who carry out actions according to A.L.F. guidelines have the right to regard themselves as part of the A.L.F. The A.L.F. guidelines are: TO liberate animals from places of abuse, i.e. laboratories, factory farms, fur farms, etc., and place them in good homes where they may live out their natural lives, free from suffering. TO inflict economic damage to those who profit from the misery and exploitation of animals. TO reveal the horror and atrocities committed against animals behind locked doors, by performing non-violent direct actions and liberations. TO take all necessary precautions against harming any animal, human and non-human. PLEASE NOTE: The North American A.L.F. Supporters Group is a completely separate organization from the A.L.F. YOU CANNOT become a member of the A.L.F., or an A.L.F. activist, by supporting the North American A.L.F.S.G. What is the Animal Liberation Front Supporters Group? The purpose of the A.L.F. Supporters Group is to support the work of the Animal Liberation Front by all lawful means possible. This includes: Support of imprisoned activists, support and defense of the A.L.F., educating the public as to the need and rationale of direct action, providing a communication forum through the Supporters Group newsletter, raising funds for all the above S.G. activities. There are A.L.F. Supporters Groups all over the world. The North American A.L.F. Supporters Group (NA-ALFSG) is responsible for co-ordinating A.L.F. support within North America. Our main projects right now are supporting activists who are imprisoned for alleged involvement in animal liberation activities and publishing a magazine three times a year. The Supporters Group is for those who wish to support the A.L.F. without breaking the law. We encourage the participation of all activists -- including those who are unable to, or who do not wish to, take part in direct action. How Do I Become a Member of the North American A.L.F. Supporters Group? Suggested costs for a membership to the North American ALFSG, including a year's subscription to "Underground", are on a $20-$30 sliding scale. Canadian subscribers can pay in Canadian currency; we ask that US and overseas subscribers pay in US currency (US cheques or money orders). All money, EXCEPT that going towards merchandise and distribution should be sent to the NA-ALFSG's Ontario mailing address (see below). Cheques and money orders should be made out to: NAALFSG. We are a 100% volunteer organization. All money raised goes directly to the work of supporting animal liberation and assisting imprisoned activists. Supporters can help raise money by: making personal contributions; promoting our magazine "Underground" and our other merchandise; organizing fund-raising events; designing merchandise; and suggesting strategies for our fund-raising efforts. What are the Projects of the North American ALFSG? Prisoner Support Letter writing: prisoners rely on letters as their link to the outside world. Letters to newspapers help inform the public about the plight of imprisoned activists. Publicity: articles for magazines, letters to the editor, public speaking, and other media work such as radio broadcasts help fundraise and raise awareness. Of course any press work that is done under the name of the North American ALFSG must be approved by the North American ALFSG. Newsletter Contributions to the newsletter: articles, letters, graphics, action reports, communiques...everything helps. Distribution/Subscription drive: if you can help us distribute the newsletter or increase subscriptions, that helps us educate about animal liberation. If you have any other ideas, please let us know. We welcome your feedback and participation. How Do A.L.F. Cells Communicate Securely? If you are a member of an active A.L.F. cell, send us any clippings, or your own report, with date, time, place, and a few details about the action. Send your reports on plain paper, using block capital letters, or a public typewriter that many people have access to. Wear gloves at all times so your fingerprints are not on the paper, envelope, or stamp. Do not give your address, and don't lick the stamp or envelope; wet it with a sponge. Remember you should expect that all of our mail and any other support groups' mail is opened and read by the authorities. DO NOT inform us of upcoming actions BEFORE they happen. Towards animal liberation and freedom for all political prisoners, How Can I Contact the North American ALFSG and find out about merchandise, newsletters and distribution information? Please direct all inquiries to the following address: NAALFSG PO Box 69597 5845 Yonge St. Willowdale, Ont M2M 4K3 CANADA naalfsg at envirolink.org BFSS HedWeb HerbWeb BLTC Research Veganism FAQ Vegetarian FAQ Animal Rights FAQ The Taste of Depravity 'Game Conservancy Trust' Animal Liberation Prisoners A Home Page for Herbivores Animal Rights Resource Site The Post-Darwinian Transition Frontline Information Service Countryside Alliance For Animal Rights e-mail : info at herbweb.org ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Dress up your holiday email, Hollywood style. Learn more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca Sun Jan 2 17:43:01 2005 From: shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca (shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca) Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 17:43:01 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Shadow_Group] Carrying the Energy Future, Comparing Hydrogen and Electricity for Transmission, Storage and Transportation Message-ID: <20050103014301.9521.qmail@web13608.mail.yahoo.com> Excellent study done on the comparing Hydrogen and Electric industry. Now if I can get a copy to Arnold........ Carrying the Energy Future, Comparing Hydrogen and Electricity for Transmission, Storage and Transportation by Patrick Mazza & Roel Hammerschlag, June 2004 http://www.ilea.org/downloads/MazzaHammerschlag.pdf accessed 12/22/04 Link can be found here........http://www.ilea.org , titled Carrying the Energy Future IBB ++++++++++++++++++++++++++STOP THE WALL++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www.stopthewall.org www.nad-plo.org www.hrw.org www.pal-arc.org www.endtheoccupation.org www.sustaincampaign.org --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: