CONTENTS
1) Editorial
2) Issue Updates
--Take Action: Prime Minister Harper Must Reverse the Cuts to Federal Energuide Program
--What’s Happening in the Great Bear Rainforest?
--Saving Seafood Species
--Research and Development in the Health Field 1988 to 2005 (preliminary)
3) Media Watch
--Canada’s Greenhouse Gases Far Above Target
--Ozone Layer Shows Signs of Recovery, Scientists Claim
--Report Says Ozone Hole May Disappear by 2050
--Monsanto Continues French GMO Testing Despite Ruling
--UN Recognizes GM Tree Threat
--Organic Food and GM Crops to Top EU Agriculture Bill
--Save Family Farms, Save America
--Lure of the Urban Veggie Garden
--Pity the Poor Omnivore: Michael Pollan on how America Got Fat
--The Price is Wrong: On the Cost of Organics
--Darryl Hannah Makes a Splash with her New Eco-Blog
--EU Food Body Dismisses Food Sweetener Cancer Fears
--Prince Charles Touts Traditional Cures
--Lawyers Plan Strategy in Teflon Litigation
--Flush a Bye, Baby – Eco-diaper Entrepreneurs
--Starbucks: Drink Deeply, Relax, and be Inspired?
--Got Artificial Hormone Milk? Starbucks Does
--Protecting Ourselves from the Sun
--Medical Guesswork
--Expert Panel Says Vitamin Supplements Safe
--Study: Canadians Healthier than Americans
--Studies Draw Attention to Nutraceuticals at Canadian Medical Conference
--Avastin and Tarceva for Lung Cancer: Do They Work?
--Tarceva for Lung Cancer: Does it Work? Part Two
--Acupuncture Provides Benefit for Hypertension and Stroke
--Massage Beneficial for Arthritis Pains
--Morning Sickness Remedies
--Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Remedies
--Insight into the Anti-cancer Effect of Exercise
4) Calendar of Events
--Animal Voices Film Festival, June 3rd, 4th
--Cancer(s) Triggered by Diagnosis Shock, June 22nd
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1) Editorial
Hello HANS members and friends;
We’re in spring, I hear. This is where I make jokes about the weather, but we all know. Climate change isn’t funny. It’s worrisome.
And we all want to do something about it. I look around the Internet and I see a lot of excellent resources working on solutions for global warming, and they truly ARE excellent solutions. So I ask you. Would you like to join other members of HANS in the preparation of a forum to be held in Vancouver this fall? We are looking for a team of volunteers to work with us. We want to raise the profile of solutions for global weather problems, with policy makers, and the media, and, of course, the public.
Experts say we have ten years to achieve this. You can email me at lorna@hans.org and we’ll talk…
Warm regards,
Lorna Hancock
Founding Member and Director
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2) ISSUE UPDATES
Take Action: Prime Minister Harper Must Reverse the Cuts to Federal Energuide Program
PRESS RELEASE – SIERRA CLUB OF CANADA
Striking another blow to federal climate change programs, the Harper government on May 12, 2006 ordered immediate termination of the highly effective Energuide for Houses program. Sierra Club of Canada seeks your assistance in bringing back and expanding Energuide for Houses program.
EnerGuide for Houses Retrofit Incentive (EGHRI) provides performance-based grants to homeowners who make energy efficiency investments in their homes. EnerGuide for Low Income Households (EGLIH), a new program launched in 2006, pays the full cost of energy efficiency upgrades for qualifying low-income households.
Both programs have been cancelled.
The Harper government has said they want to do away with ineffective programs. With this latest cut, they are showing they don’t want demonstrably effective Climate change programs either. Participants in the Energuide for Houses Retrofit Incentive save an average of 28 per cent on their energy bills. That’s $750 a year – or $18,750 in lifetime savings at current energy prices. Besides saving money, EnerGuide for Houses encourages home improvement investments ($5,000-$7,000 per grant) that create hundreds of jobs and business opportunities, and generate tax revenues for government.
EnerGuide for Houses is a proven energy efficiency program that bolsters our economy, creates jobs and improves our environment. With greenhouse gas emissions now at 30 per cent above 1990 levels, rather than working hard to reduce emissions, the Harper government is undoing much of the progress made in the last fifteen years.
Write to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn and remind them of the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tell them that the Energuide program should be expanded. Their minority government has no mandate to dismantle our climate change programs.
Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Phone: (613) 992-4211
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca
Minister of the Environment
Honourable Rona Ambrose
Room 163 East Block
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 996-9778
E-mail: Ambror@parl.gc.ca
Minister of Natural Resources
Honourable Gary Lunn
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 996-1119
E-mail: LunnG@parl.gc.ca
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What’s Happening in the Great Bear Rainforest?
Find out about what’s happening in Canada's forests with Forest Views newsletter. Forest Views is published by Greenpeace and other groups and aimed at customers and investors of British Columbia's wood products. In this issue, learn about the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement announced on February 7 - the largest rainforest protection package in Canadian history! Also, read about the new Forest Stewardship Council - BC regional standards and the latest ancient forest-friendly success for the magazine industry. Visit http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/campaign/forest/documents....
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Saving Seafood Species
With barbeque season starting, it’s important to consider what’s going on your grill. Many endangered fish, such as the Orange Roughy, are sold in grocery stores across Canada. Use the Endangered Fish Alliance Ecoguide to Sustainable Seafood to choose sustainable alternatives, such as wild Alaska Salmon and farmed Catfish. Visit http://www.endangeredfishalliance.org/sustainablelis....
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Research and Development in the Health Field 1988 to 2005 (preliminary)
Research and development (R&D) in the health field is gaining importance in Canada, accounting for nearly one-quarter of total spending on R&D in 2005, according to preliminary figures.
Gross spending on health R&D amounted to an estimated $6.0 billion last year, 6.8%, or $379 million higher than the level in 2004.
R&D on health accounted for 23% of gross domestic spending on R&D in 2005. A decade earlier, it represented only 16%.
More at http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060512/td060512....
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4) MEDIA WATCH
Canada’s Greenhouse Gases Far Above Target
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/3...
Ozone Layer Shows Signs of Recovery, Scientists Claim
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=10394
Report Says Ozone Hole May Disappear by 2050
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=10501
Monsanto Continues French GMO Testing Despite Ruling
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/3...
UN Recognizes GM Tree Threat
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/UNCRGETT.php
Organic Food and GM Crops to Top EU Agriculture Bill
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseactio...
Save Family Farms, Save America
http://eartheasy.com/article_family_farms.htm
Lure of the Urban Veggie Garden
http://thetyee.ca/Life/2006/05/19/UrbanGarden/
Pity the Poor Omnivore: Michael Pollan on how America Got Fat
http://thetyee.ca/Life/2006/05/16/PoorOmnivore/
The Price is Wrong: On the Cost of Organics
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2006/05/22/costs/ind...
Darryl Hannah Makes a Splash with her New Eco-Blog
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/05/16/mcgrad...
EU Food Body Dismisses Food Sweetener Cancer Fears
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=11&u...
Prince Charles Touts Traditional Cures
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=541&e=4&u=...
Lawyers Plan Strategy in Teflon Litigation
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...
Flush a Bye, Baby – Eco-diaper Entrepreneurs
http://www.grist.org/comments/interactivist/2006/05/...
Starbucks: Drink Deeply, Relax, and be Inspired?
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3201
Got Artificial Hormone Milk? Starbucks Does
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/publications/newsle...
Protecting Ourselves from the Sun
http://www.enn.com/net.html?id=1501
Medical Guesswork
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_22/b...
Expert Panel Says Vitamin Supplements Safe
http://www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v02n04....
Study: Canadians Healthier than Americans
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=541&e=5&u=...
Studies Draw Attention to Nutraceuticals at Canadian Medical Conference
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=68...
Avastin and Tarceva for Lung Cancer: Do They Work?
http://www.cancerdecisions.com/052106.html
Tarceva for Lung Cancer: Does it Work? Part Two
http://www.cancerdecisions.com/052806.html
Acupuncture Provides Benefit for Hypertension and Stroke
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8386
Massage Beneficial for Arthritis Pains
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8373
Morning Sickness Remedies
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsdise...
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Remedies
http://altmedicine.about.com/b/a/257635.htm?nl=1
Insight into the Anti-cancer Effect of Exercise
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=11&u...
For more current stories, check out “News” at www.hans.org.
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4) Calendar of Events
Animal Voices Film Festival
When: June 3rd and 4th
Where: H R Macmillan Space Center “Planetarium” 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC.
Cost: Day passes are a nominal $6.00 and $5.00 for members of sponsoring organizations.
Contact: www.animalvoices.org/filmfest
Presenting two days of thought provoking films, celebrating the glory of the animal kingdom and exploring the use of animals in modern day farming practices.
“The Emotional world of Farm Animals” is a delightful documentary for viewers of all ages about the thinking and feeling side of farm animals.
The Canadian premiere of “Mad Cowboy” based on Howard Lyman’s book linking contemporary farming practices with the current threat of Avian flu and mad cow disease.
A rare appearance and book signing by author and renowned activist Howard Lyman to promote his new book “No More Bull”.
The second annual Animal Voices Film Festival includes two informative days of movies, speakers, presentations, musical entertainment by Dana Lyons, food, prizes, and the opportunity to socialise and speak with sponsoring non profit organizations.
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Cancer(s) Triggered by Diagnosis Shock
When: June 22nd
Who: Caroline Markolin, PhD, approved German New Medicine Teacher
Where: West End, Coast Plaza Hotel, 1763 Comox St. (corner of Denman), Beach room, free parking, 7:15 – 9:45 pm
Cost: $20, registration not necessary
Contact: cmarkolin@germannewmedicine.ca
Discover a new understanding of disease. In 1981, German medical doctor Ryke Geerd Hamer found that every disease is the result of unexpected emotional stress. This stress not only occurs in the PSYCHE, but at the same time in the BRAIN (visible on a brain CT) and in the corresponding ORGAN.
From more than 40,000 case studies, Dr Hamer was able to identify what type of conflicts cause what type of symptoms. He established that what we commonly call a “disease” is not caused by a malfunctioning organism but is rather a natural meaningful biological survival program that has been successfully practiced for millions of years of evolution.
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Founded in 1984, Health Action Network Society is a membership-based, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to gathering and disseminating health promotion information.