Issue 80 Table of Contents

Issue 80
Table of Contents

	Nuclear Power Industry Seeks Life Extension For Aging Plants	by J.A. Savage In a hushed quest to allow an expected 85 percent of the nation's nuclear reactors to live beyond mandatory retirement, the nuclear industry talked the federal government into allowing a generic 20-year extension on the life of reactors
	Arab Nations Demand UN Probe of Israeli Violence	by Gustavo Capdevila Algerian diplomat, Mohamed Saleh Dembri, current president and spokesman of the League of Arab States, is pressing for an international inquiry to sort out who is responsible for the violence occurring in the Palestinian territories and spreading throughout Israel. Never before has the UN commission reacted so overwhelmingly in favor of -- or against -- a special session, "nearly unanimously," Dembri pointed out
	House Vote Could Kindle Another Mideast Dispute	by Jim Lobe As if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the bombing of a U.S. naval destroyer in Yemen weren't trouble enough, the Clinton administration is bracing for another crisis in the strategic Middle East that could erupt any time. That is because the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Dennis Hastert, has agreed to bring to the House floor a resolution which, if passed, would put the United States on record as formally recognizing that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against its Armenian subjects between 1915 and 1923
	Plagues, Not Bombs, Are Real Threat to National Security	by David Corn A plague is a more likely danger to Americans than a lone North Korean nuclear ICBM. Yet political discussions regarding national security rarely cover such non-traditional threats as infectious diseases or move beyond cereal-box positions
	High Oil Prices Are "Curse of Saddam"	by Eric S. Margolis Amidst all the finger-pointing over who is to blame for high oil prices, and inevitable pre-electoral threats by the Clinton Administration, to bomb the usual Iraqis, it is simply amazing that no one has asked the most obvious question: does the 10-year embargo of Iraqi oil play a role in this mess?
	Cheney Firm Tied to Crimes Against Humanity	by Danielle Knight Until he was selected as vice presidential candidate for the Republican ticket, Dick Cheney headed the energy giant Halliburton, which activists say owned a subsidiary that helped build two pipelines that involved the forcible relocation of villages, forced labor, rape and murder
	Al Gore, Corporate Populist	by Bill Mesler The money has been pouring in from all kinds of corporate special interests. There is money from high-tech firms which don't want to be taxed. There is money from banks and securities brokers appreciative of the administration's deregulation of the finance industry. Even the Democratic convention was financed by a host of corporate-welfare-fattened telecom giants like AT&T
	U.S. Helps Peru's Notorious Strongman Gain Asylum	by Jim Lobe Ê U.S. human rights groups, echoing their counterparts in Peru, have voiced outrage at the role played by Washington and the Organization of American States (OAS) in persuading Panama to take in Peru's former intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos
	Biotech Giants Merge to Become World's Largest Agribusiness	by Jaya Ramachandran The merger of biotech giants Novartis, of Switzerland, and AstraZeneca, of the UK, creating the world's biggest agribusiness concern, has alarmed some of Europe's largest development agencies, which worry that the rights of small farmers will be further eroded. Both Novartis and AstraZeneca have been researching Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTS), the most famous of which is "Terminator Technology"
	Error 404: News Not Found in Your Daily media	IN THIS ISSUE: The greatest financial scandal in U.S. history; mainstream press bashes Ralph Nader; patriotic plagarism; top papers exclude critics in exchange for "scoop"
	Guyana Complains of DEA "Blackmail"	by Bert Wilkinson Negotiations held in the last few months have broken down, in part because Guyana wants to follow the lead of Barbados and Jamaica in placing limits on the powers of U.S. Coast Guard vessels chasing smugglers into territorial waters without permission from Guyanese authorities. This is the essence of the agreement the United States wants Guyana to sign, but authorities say carte blanche permission will not be given
	Stupid Is As Stupid Does	by David Corn Bush will not or cannot engage in such a sophisticated discussion. That's no surprise; he once explained his stand against abortion by saying, "Don't like it. I have an opinion." In the Charisma interview, he reaffirmed his anti-abortion position and noted, "this country needs to have a renewed understanding of the preciousness of life." How does that square with his capital punishment stand? Charisma didn't ask. But during this session, Bush quipped, "What's needed in a president is a consistent message"
	Nader Fills Madison Square Garden	by Jennifer Bleyer 15,000 people -- almost all in their late teens, twenties and thirties -- shelled out $20 apiece for an event that was certainly more rock concert than political rally. "Nader Rocks the Garden" it was rather dramatically titled, the latest in a string of successful "super-rallies" to benefit Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. The sheer size of the event, which was announced, planned and publicized in a week, astounded even its own planners. Greg Kafoury, a close friend and colleague of Nader's who was involved in efforts to get him on the ballot in 1992 and 1996, stood onstage while the candidate spread his message of civic rather than corporate globalization, and basked in the stadium's glow
	Candidates Ignore Poverty in 2000 Elections	by Mark Weisbrot The deafening silence of our Democratic and Republican candidates on this issue mirrors the motivation that brought us "welfare reform" in the first place, four years ago. There was never any intention to help the poor. President Clinton wanted to take the last possible remaining issue away from his Republican opponent in the 1996 elections
	Most Voters Are Mere Bystanders This Election	by Steve Chapman Elections are won by votes, so you would expect presidential candidates to spend their time and money where the most votes reside. Not this year. The reason for this mysterious behavior is that the two major party nominees are not trying to win over individual voters in the coming election. They are trying to win states. Thanks to an obscure institution known as the Electoral College, that's how presidential elections work
	Get Ready for a Black Congress	by Michael Moore The 1994 election that gave the House to Newt and the Republicans was decided in 19 districts where the Republican won by a thousand or so votes. A few Nader voters could make all the difference
	Lies, Damned Lies, and Selective GOP Outrage	by David Corn Why the obsession with his tall tales and not those of Bush? The Texas governor flat-out lied when he said the Gore campaign was outspending the Bush campaign. Bush's math has been as fuzzy as anyone's. (Take his unproven claim that Gore's intiatives would require the hiring of 20,000 more bureaucrats.) Cheney, too, is a prevaricator
	Nader Again Blocked From Attending Debate	by Matt Welch After filing a federal civil rights suit against the Commission on Presidential Debates in the morning, then denouncing America's "stench of fascism" in the afternoon, the Green Party candidate stormed the third and last presidential debate last night at Washington University armed with a valid credential and an interview appointment, but was turned away once more by rent-a-cops acting on behalf of Democrats and Republicans
	It's Saturday Night Nader!	by Jennifer Bleyer Ralph Nader, at once the begrudging Luddite who handles his assistant's cellphone like a hot potato, and the scathing cultural critic who blames television for everything from childhood obesity to strip-mall culture, knows well the power of the tube. That's why last weekend he became the first presidential candidate in the 2000 election to go on Saturday Night Live
	GOP Blasted For Ad Linking School Crime And Diversity	by Faye M. Anderson Republicans are embroiled in another racial controversy. The latest furor was unleashed when a conservative group began running a TV ad in Kansas City, Mo., that attacks "diversity." The ad was paid for by an independent group, the Republican Ideas Political Committee. In it, a fictional woman says she put her son in a private school because the public school had drugs, violence and "a bit more diversity than he could handle." The end of the ad reads: "Vote Republican"
	Why Bush Lost the Election	by Steve Chapman By the time he was done, it was clear what Cheney would do if elected: He'd serve as George W. Bush's brain. There are probably many Americans who would be happy to vote for Bush, if he promised to resign immediately after being sworn in
	The Town that Hates Al Gore	by Jennifer Bleyer The WTI incinerator is one of the largest of its type in the world, burning 60,000 tons of hazardous waste annually since 1993, and has attracted attention most recently as a symbol of Vice President and Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore's alleged inconsistency on environmental issues
	Falling in Love With Nader	by Joyce Marcel Many people are afraid to vote for Nader because they believe that a vote for him equals a vote for Bush. Many others feel condemned to vote -- once again -- for what they call the "lesser of two evils." Nader said this is a spurious dilemma which only shows that we have lost control of our "expectation levels." "Voting for the least of the worst has no endgame," he said
	Debate Left Important Questions Unanswered	by Steve Chapman For George W. Bush: You've been described as having a thinner resume than anyone elected president since Woodrow Wilson. How can someone with an undistinguished career in business and so little experience in government be adequately prepared for the most important job in the world? Would anyone consider you qualified for the presidency if your name were George Walker rather than George Walker Bush?
	Protesters Beaten as Nader Tries to Enter Debate	by Jennifer Bleyer In the beginning of the night, the police were few and the demonstrators stayed in the designated "protest pit" beside the university's entrance, drumming, chanting and performing street theater as audience members were bussed inside. Halfway through the debate, the police line was reinforced with over a hundred additional officers in riot gear, which sent waves of intimidation through the crowd, and was seen by some protesters as a challenge. After the debate ended, hundreds of protesters knocked over police barricades and sat down -- arms linked -- in a road leading to the debate hall. Police rode horses into the throng of seated protesters, and chemical spray was used to subdue the crowd
	12,000 Pay to Hear Nader in Minneapolis	by Jennifer Bleyer Green Party organizers had sold only 3,000 tickets by Wednesday for a Friday night rally for Ralph Nader at the Target Center. Still, they decorated the stage with bales of hay, pumpkins, cornstalks and other colorful symbols of Minnesota's fall harvest. They set up folding tables in the lobby with handwritten signs reading "Cash, Credit Cards, Checks." And they piled Nader/LaDuke lawn signs by the exit doors, hoping that enough people would show up to take them home. So they were nearly beside themselves when close to 12,000 people poured into the stadium on September 23, paying seven dollars each to hear Nader's message of radical political reform. The crowd was the largest to see Nader during his presidential campaign
	NY Progressives Hope to Steal Vote Tactic From GOP	by Ellen Kennedy Right-wingers have used this tactic successfully in New York for years. Reaganites and Gingrichites could support "moderate" Republican George Pataki on the Conservative Party line -- helping defeat Mario Cuomo while showing their allegiance to the Conservative Party's harder-edged pro-life, anti-regulation, pro-tax cuts for the rich agenda. And when the Conservative Party's 300,000 votes for Pataki gave him the margin of victory against Cuomo in 1994, that gave the Conservatives real power and leverage to move Pataki and the Republican Party to the right. For years, progressives lacked a similar choice -- rather, they had to choose between supporting the Democrat and splitting the vote by supporting a 3rd line candidate with little hope for success. Not any more
	Real Questions for Bush/Gore Debate	by David Corn Presidential debates become just another opportunity for candidates to echo the lines they have honed during two years of stump speeches. ("Glad you asked. My twenty-seven-point plan on that subject covers this....") The Commission has not invited me to join the panel of questioners. Still, I've decided to draft a list of queries that might -- and I emphasize might -- force Gore and Bush out of their rhetorical boxes
	Michael Moore Stumps for Nader	by Jennifer Bleyer "You should never vote out of fear, you should vote your conscience. If people voted out of fear we never would have had the country, there never would have been a revolution. You've got to especially encourage young people to follow their conscience, because if you don't start doing it now at the age of 18, you'll never do it and in fact it'll get worse"
	Widespread African Animal Extinction Coming	by Dennis Meredith Scientists found that other large-bodied monkeys in the regions were becoming rare, almost certainly due to hunting exacerbated by habitat loss. Such hunting abounds because "laws protecting colobus monkeys have not been enforced, and forest areas set aside specifically for wildlife protection ... have been poorly protected against the activities of poachers," the scientists wrote. According to Struhsaker, the extinction of the monkey is only the beginning of a larger ecological disaster
	Global Extinctions Greater Risk Than Earlier Believed	by Danielle Knight With dramatic declines in the populations of many species, conservationists here have warned than the global extinction crisis is worse than previously thought. From birds and plants to reptiles and primates, the number of critically endangered species has increased in practically all types of species tracked by field biologists, according to the new list of endangered species
	Arctic Pollution Traced to N America Smokestacks	by Danielle Knight Pollution infiltrating Canada's pristine Arctic region has been traced by researchers to air emissions from specific municipal waste incinerators, cement kilns and industrial plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico
	Voluntary Industry Program Has Done Little to Cut Texas Air Pollution	George W. BushÕs voluntary pollution reduction law for older industrial plants has reduced air pollution by less than one third of one percent, a new analysis of data compiled by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission has found
	War Over Stossel Rages on Web	by Donna Ladd John Stossel sayshe cultivates an onscreen persona of measured neutrality, he has left an online trail that suggests bias. The ultraconservative Palmer R. Chitester Fund, a Pennsylvania nonprofit that distributes the journalist's ABC reports to public and private schools around the country. This "Stossel in the Classroom" series is packaged and sold by the PRC, which is run by Bob Chitester, a partner with Milton and Rose Friedman in the free-market foundation Free to Choose Enterprise. The videos come with study guides that draw on material from such far-right groups as the Heritage Foundation and the Young Americas Foundation
	The Boy Scouts and the Mormon Church	by Patrick Boyle More than any other factor, the close relationship between the BSA and religious organizations like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) -- the Mormons -- explains why the BSA pursued its anti-gay policy all the way to the Supreme Court. It also explains why the BSA stands alone among Boy Scout organizations around the world, and among other youth-serving organizations including the Girl Scouts, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, in barring homosexuals
	Olympics Didn't Mend Australia's Ties With Natives	by Kalinga Seneviratne For the Australian media, the biggest story of the Sydney Olympics was Cathy Freeman, the 27-year-old Aboriginal athlete who lit the Olympic flame for Australia and won the 400-meter gold medal in track a week later. Freeman's high profile put into focus not only her Aboriginal roots but something more sensitive: Australia's inability to come to terms with its mistakes in dealing with its Native peoples
	Researcher Expects Exorcism Boom	by Joel Schwarz With the re-release of "The Exorcist" and the up-coming Halloween broadcast of "Possessed," a TV documentary about a purported exorcism in a mental hospital, and you've got a prescription for a sudden jump in the number reported demonic possessions
	Novel Lawsuit Seeks to Block Urban Sprawl	by Brian Hansen In a novel move designed to slow the nationwide spread of urban sprawl, two conservation groups are suing the U.S. Small Business Administration for allegedly violating federal environmental laws by not considering the impacts of its lending practices
	Black Moms Targeted For Drug Tests	by Katherine Stapp In an important test for privacy rights, the Supreme Court is reviewing the claims of a group of ten mostly black women that a public hospital abused its authority when it singled them out without their knowledge for drug tests during routine prenatal exams
	Ex-dictator Suharto Escapes Trial on Corruption	The South Jakarta district court threw out charges that Suharto had embezzled $590 million in state funds during his rule after it accepted findings of an independent team of doctors that the former dictator was mentally and physically unfit to stand trial. The five-judge panel rejected a prosecution move to try him in absentia
	Pinochet Trial Delayed Over Senility Question	by Gustavo Gonzalez Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's defense attorneys plan to contest Judge Juan Guzman's order for the elderly retired general to undergo psychological exams, which means his trial could be delayed
	Colombia Anti-Drug Spraying Causing Problems in Ecuador	by Kintto Lucas The military's fumigation of coca plantations in Colombia with the herbicide as part of the government's anti-drug fight, is causing environmental damage and health problems in neighboring Ecuador's border provinces. Dr. Arturo Yepez said the zone's residents come to him with symptoms similar to peasants who have been poisoned from ingesting pesticides
	Cops Stumble Over Colombian Rebel Drugs- For- Guns Pipeline	by Abraham Lama The investigation of a scandal involving Russian assault rifles trafficked from Jordan through Peru and airdropped to Colombia's guerrillas has all the elements of a spy novel. The characters include a mercenary Ukrainian aviator working for the Russian drug-trafficking mafia, Peruvian army officers, naturalized French-Spanish and French-American citizens, an alleged Lebanese arms-dealer, Sarkis Soghanalian -- and even circus animals
	Activist Warns of Operation Condor II	by Mario Osava A leading activist in Paraguay has warned that the region's militaries are collecting and sharing intelligence on "dissidents" in a manner reminiscent of the bloody crackdown in the 1970s and 1980s known as Operation Condor
	Physicists Scoff at Risk of Creating "Killer" Particles	by Hazel Muir The probability that dangerous Earth-devouring particles will be born at a new particle accelerator may be very, very, very tiny, but scientists have played down the devastating potential costs in their risk assessments, a physicist now says
	India Women Fighting Birth Control Injections	by Ranjit Devraj Leading women's rights groups in India are pressing the government to give its up plans to use contraceptive injections as part of the national birth control program, which they say is becoming coercive
	OPEC Worries About Phase-out of Fossil Fuels	by Luis Cordova and Andres Canizalez OPEC summit raised issues of long-term importance to the international oil market, notably concerns about the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and the outlook for oil-dependent nations
	The Soviet Garage Sale	by Clarence Brown It is hard to convince people that there was anything at all pleasant about living in the Soviet Union during its last half century. There was enough sheer awfulness, true, but some of it was nice enough
	1 of 3 States Flunks Teaching Evolution	by Lu Leon Over one-third of the states are doing an unsatisfactory-to-disgraceful job when it comes to the standards they have developed for teaching evolution, according to a new report. While most scientists view evolution as the central organizing principle of biology, a number of states avoid it and some even shun the term: the word evolution never appears in their statewide science standards for K-12 education
	Defiant Tokyo Stands Pat on Whaling	by Suvendrini Kakuchi Japan is refusing to give up its whaling program despite the threat of being denied access to fishing rights in U.S. waters, possible trade sanctions and the cancellation of regular bilateral fisheries talks. On Sept. 21, Japan's five-vessel research whaling fleet returned home from a hunt in the northwestern Pacific with a catch of 88 whales that included -- for the first time since a moratorium was slapped on commercial whaling in 1986 -- Bryde's and sperm whales, two larger species that have been protected due to their dwindling numbers
	The Fraud of "Citizens for Better Medicare"	by Jim Hightower Who exactly are these "Citizens" for Better Medicare? The organization turns out to be a front group for the large drug companies. The Wall Street Journal reports that CBM is funded by the drug giants, and its headed by the former marketing director of the industry's lobbying arm
	Press Turns Back on Protesters in Prague	by Naomi Klein A lot of journalists believe, with reason, that their presence at these key moments in history helped to bring down repressive regimes. They were part of a revolution. They got a very different welcome from the activists in Prague, as they have at similar demonstrations worldwide. In a movement with the stated goal of reigning in the power of multinational corporations, journalists working for CNN and CBS don't get their egos stroked with cries of "The whole world is watching." In fact, they might just get their egos slapped around a bit with taunts of "Go home corporate stooge!"
	Zero Tolerance for Teens	by Steve Chapman The police, keep in mind, can't come into your house and search you unless they have reason to think you've committed a crime. But school officials assume the power to conduct searches of a student's locker, backpack, clothing and bodily excretions, even if she has been a model of good behavior. The humiliation of being forced to drop your pants in the presence of teachers is getting to be one of the routine indignities of high school, like cafeteria food and acne
	"Death Tax" a Small Measure of Justice for Poor	by Donella H. Meadows I would be more sympathetic to Angry Benefactor if he had at least acknowledged the existence of parents who also work hard but haven't a prayer of accumulating a taxable estate. That means 98 percent of the people around him, whose children must somehow make their own way in life
	Bush: Pathetic or Ridiculous?	by Molly Ivins Gore changed his debate strategy in the second debate because everyone said he came on too strong in the first one. In the third debate, he went back to being himself -- knowing so much about everything that he's boring. It beat Bush's not knowing enough to be able to talk for two minutes on major issues
	So Why is Bush Running, Anyway?	by Molly Ivins I have thought since he first ran that George W. Bush was too light to be governor of Texas. Frankly, I can't imagine why anyone would consider him for president. He's not smart, he doesn't know much, and he doesn't work hard
	Forcing Money on the Military	by Molly Ivins George W. Bush wants to spend more on the military, and Al Gore wants to spend even more than that. The problem is that's not the problem. The problem is that we spend money on the military stupidly, and this in turn affects everything else, because this election is about choices and priorities
	Seamy Stock Option Deals	by Molly Ivins What's worrying is that widespread use of stock options is something new; no one knows what happens to option-workers when the economy slows down and stocks go into an extended slide
	Bush "Spy" Incident Sounds Familiar	by Molly Ivins On l'Affaire McKinnongate, as we now call the flap over who pinched Bush's debate material and sent it to a Gore campaign honcho, the media seem to be operating in a curious historical vacuum. The Texas press has managed to recall that we have seen similar events before, but the national media remain clueless
	Bush Tells Some Whoppers	by Molly Ivins The Republican Amen Corner in the media -- that gaggle of flacks, hacks, ex-Republican speech writers, flunkies and spear-carriers now passing themselves off as journalists -- took up the cry to a man and woman. Those Republicans- pretending- to- be- journalists are so obedient. They sing in such perfect harmony off the same page that the song rises to heaven and dominates all else. Plain reporters, forever obliged to try to be even-handed, are no competition. Lest we all swoon in horror at the concept of a politician exaggerating (could it be?!), let us take a look at some of the more interesting claims made by the Bush camp
	The Kind of Judge That Bush Likes	by Molly Ivins From the evidence of his appointees, one can conclude that Bush has not made being militantly anti-abortion a litmus test for Texas judges, but he has made being pro-business a litmus test. Three of the court's recent decisions limit class-action lawsuits so drastically that Baker, Bush's first appointee, was moved to dissent. He said their decision "mocks the Constitutional prohibition of special laws and undermines our special law jurisprudence." He also added, in what one paper called a "cryptic" reference, "In any event, we all know what is going on here."
	The Clinton Hunt Ends -- For Now	by Molly Ivins OK, he didn't do anything wrong in Whitewater, he didn't do anything wrong in Filegate, he didn't do anything wrong in Travelgate -- but he sure had a highly improper relationship with a White House intern, although how that came to be a subject for an obsessive prosecutor assigned to investigate a real-estate deal is still hard to comprehend. Right to the end, the special prosecutor was still complaining about the Clintons' failure to produce relevant documents in a timely manner. I can't understand why the Clintons weren't more anxious to cooperate with Kenneth Starr, can you?
	Media and Israeli Occupation	by Norman Solomon For American journalists on mainstream career ladders, it's prudent to avoid making a big deal about Israel's human rights violations, which persist without letup in tandem with Israel's occupation of land it captured in the 1967 war. Many pundits are fond of cloaking the occupiers in mantles of righteousness. And we hear few questions raised about the fact that the occupiers enjoy the powerful backing of the United States
	Keeping up With the Digital Joneses	by Norman Solomon The common determination to keep up with the (Digital) Joneses isn't mere status-seeking. As the Internet continues to gain momentum, we're apt to believe -- for good reasons -- that we must not be left behind. In professional and financial realms, those who lack access to the latest in techno-communication are likely to find themselves at a distinct disadvantage
	Election Intervention	by Norman Solomon During the last few weeks, the political intervention in Yugoslavia could hardly be more flagrant. According to the New York Times, money from Washington and European allies has gone to anti-Milosevic campaigners "sometimes in direct aid, sometimes in indirect aid like computers and broadcasting equipment, and sometimes in suitcases of cash carried across the border." In the interests of decreasing the tilt of the media playing field in the USA, we should ponder how to generate a comparable influx of aid for our independent media outlets. Computers are often in short supply. Broadcasting equipment is much needed. And suitcases of cash would always be appreciated
	Clinton's Legacy: Middle East Fiasco	by Alexander Cockburn As Israel's guardian, the United States shoved down Arafat's throat a deal that was bound to blow up in the end. What else could one expect of arrangements that saw Israeli settlements relentlessly expand, no right of return for hundreds of thousands of evicted Palestinians, Israeli-Arabs as second-class citizens, Palestinian colonies under Israeli army supervision, and no capital in Jerusalem? In the end, after years of groveling, even Arafat had to say "No"
	Al Gore's Nader Problem	by Alexander Cockburn In a column in Salon the other day, Camille Paglia had a swing at the problem, discussing Gore's "hothouse upbringing by his dominating parents" and "his prissy, lisping Little Lord Fauntleroy persona." Gore certainly gives the impression sometimes of being under psychic duress, like a closet case from the Fifties, though the closet in Gore's instance is not covert sexual preference, but a life span of uptight hypocrisy, of which his dope smoking and subsequent punitive attitude toward nonviolent drug offenders is a major example. Bush is just as messed up, and people sense that, too
	Did U.S. Anthropologist Commit Genocide?	by Alexander Cockburn According to Tierney, who spent 10 years researching this history, Neel secretly supervised a program of potentially lethal injections. Then he instructed the members of his research team to refuse to provide any medical assistance to the sick and dying Yanomami. Neel said that, as men of science, they should not intervene. He apparently believed that before the rise of mass societies, first in agricultural communities and then in cities, small genetically isolated groups would produce leaders with dominant genes who would then appropriate a big share of the available women with whom they would breed, thus constantly upgrading the genetic stock of the tribe
	Gore and his Reinventions	by Alexander Cockburn The fake populism about Big Oil is part and parcel of a larger mendacity that troubles many about Gore. What suppressed psychic tumult drives him to those pathetic stretchers that litter his career, the lies large and small about his life and achievements? You'd think that a man exposed to as much public derision as was Gore after claiming he and Tipper were the models for the couple in "Love Story," or after saying he'd invented the Internet, would by now be more prudent in his vauntings or even simple recollections. But no. Just as a klepto's fingers inevitably stray towards the cash register, so, too, does Gore persist in his fabrications
	Shipbreaking Among World's Most Hazardous Jobs	by Tabibul Islam Like other hazardous dismantling industries, shipbreaking has become big business in the poorest countries of Asia. A Greenpeace report last year reported that a 25 percent cancer rate is expected among workers who "...are exposed daily to free asbestos fibres and vapors and dusts which contain heavy metals, arsenic, tributyl tin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and possibly also dioxin," according to the report. Rights groups allege that the employers hide the bodies of those killed in accidents to avoid paying compensation
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