Sandra Finley

2011-03-05 Fantastic. LEAD NOW People Powered Change. Re-generate Canada. BUT – email to Alex Himmelfarb.

 Economic Indicators, Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category)  No Responses »
Mar 052011
 

I am truly excited by this initiative.  However, the battle is a difficult one.   The reforms will not be accomplished if the corporate role is not addressed (item #2).

 

“We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it and stop there;
lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit on a hot stove lid again
and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore“. Mark Twain

CONTENTS

  1. LEAD NOW, PEOPLE POWERED CHANGE INITIATIVE.  RE-GENERATE CANADA.
  2. ALEX HIMMELFARB, FORMER CLERK OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL, IS PLAYING A ROLE IN LEAD NOW.  AMBER LIGHT.   EMAIL TO ALEX.
  3. “TAKING BACK OUR DEMOCRACY:  WELCOME TO LEADNOW.CA”   BY ALEX HIMMELFARB

= = = = = = = = = =  = = = = = = == = =  = = ===

1.  LEAD NOW, PEOPLE POWERED CHANGE INITIATIVE.  RE-GENERATE CANADA.

I hope this is spreading like wild fire.  It’s exciting.  Hope – full!

I signed on  http://leadnow.ca/en/declaration. It’s easy. Below is the return message.

Normally I don’t go crazy;  but I created an event (events are March 6 – 12).   (Saskatoon, Wed March 9th, 6:30 pm at Amigo’s in the pool room;  it’s easy, close by and free meeting space.)

Invite friends for a discussion.  Everything you might need, down to invitations, is downloaded to you from LEAD NOW.

–   – – – – – – — – – – – –

Dear Sandra,

Thank you for signing up to become part of the Leadnow community. Working together, the Canada we want to see can become a reality.

We’re crafting the “Declaration for Change” – a call for federal politicians to cooperate for progress on the issues we care the most about. We’ll then back the Declaration with a commitment to vote for the politicians who rise to the challenge.

The first step is figuring out what we value – what kind of Canada do we want to live in? You can add your voice online or attend one of the over 50 local events being hosted across the country from March 6-12.

Visit: http://leadnow.ca/en/declaration

We’ve also got a fun video for you to watch – check it out here [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlXMCOmbU0k], and please share it with anyone who might like it.

Thanks for joining the community,

Jamie and Adam, on behalf of the Leadnow.ca team

PS – A people’s movement needs people! Please forward this email to any like-minded family and friends who want to see change in Canada.

= = = = = = = = == = = = =

2.  ALEX HIMMELFARB, FORMER CLERK OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL, IS PLAYING A ROLE IN LEAD NOW.  AMBER LIGHT.   EMAIL TO ALEX.

“Former Clerk of Privy Council Alex Himelfarb discusses how @leadnowca can help take back our democracy http://bit.ly/hOk8oC#cdnpoli ”

“Taking Back Our Democracy: Welcome to Leadnow.ca”  by Alex Himmelfarb

March 5, 2011 at 6:40 pm

Hello Alex,

Your analysis would benefit from more emphasis on: the problem of corporations in Government. All the reforms in the world will have little effect if we don’t get back to a separation of powers between the state and corporations.

From your time in Government I think you will know that there is far too much “government in the corporate interest”. I call it corporatocracy. It started back in the early 80′s with Michael Wilson (Finance Minister under Mulroney) and his promotion of public-private-partnerships. The mantra has continued through Liberal and Conservative Governments since then.

The “partnerships” undermine democracy. Corporations go unregulated and the public interest is subverted. Government funding criteria now includes that projects will have “the potential for commercialization” and “partnered” funding.

The public interest does not have “the potential for commercialization”.

The revolving door between business and government spins freely.

Not-to-be tolerated conflicts-of-interest are covered by “memorandums of understanding” between the Govt and the employee. Witness the CFIA (Ag Canada) with its scientists, full-time Govt employees who do paid work for CropLife Canada (lobbyists for the biotech corps) . Government employees on the payroll of the corporations they are supposed to be regulating. They receive a lot of money from the Corporations.

I don’t wish to cast stones, but it needs to be on the table: this was on-going while you were Clerk of the PCO. Lots of public money was funneled to Monsanto for example. The public will, related to genetically-modified organisms, was never debated nor were efforts to stop them honoured; the benefits were solely for the biotech corporations.

Yes, the system is badly broken.

I hope this new initiative of LEAD NOW will bring about change. It is good that it starts with VALUES (corporate or utilitarian versus humanitarian).   You will remember the Lockheed Martin (war monger and profiteer) contracts (Canadian census, etc.).

There will be no reform until we get the corporations out of Government and back to being regulated. Fortunately, there is a large movement in the U.S. (and in Canada) to change the legislation that defines the corporations.

We also must mandate an end to indicators such as GDP that are a sad and inadequate measure of waste created, but paraded as a measure of “progress”. Also in the corporate interest.

I am encouraged by the young people. If I may be quite frank: because of your time in the very influential PCO that has over-seen the transformation from democracy to corporatocracy (Harper is continuing what was established before he took over the reins), I am worried about your participation in this re-generation process. Sorry to say. But call a spade a spade. /Sandra

= = = = = = = =  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

3.   “TAKING BACK OUR DEMOCRACY:  WELCOME TO LEADNOW.CA”   BY ALEX HIMMELFARB

This post has been published in The Mark News as “The Democracy We Deserve”

As we watch events unfold in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, as the media chronicle acts of extraordinary courage in the face of grotesque brutality, I expect many of us –  inspired, hopeful, uncertain — are led to reflect on things here at home.  For me, at least, this has meant a recognition of our own very good fortune accompanied, at the same time, by worry about our increasingly enfeebled democracy and perhaps too some shame that we don’t seem able to muster the will to do anything about it.

A consensus is indeed emerging in much of the developed world that both our democracy and civil society are weaker today than, say, a decade ago.  Politics and public service are no longer honoured vocations – though they must be.  Citizens are less inclined to vote or to join political parties or to pay taxes.  Young people in particular have turned away from our conventional political institutions. Parties are in disarray trying to find ways to reconnect to voters.  The bonds of trust between citizen and government have come undone and the trust between us as citizens seems to be fraying as politics increasingly polarize and divide.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, heading a Conservative-Liberal Coalition, has pronounced his society “broken”:  too many people are excluded entirely from economic opportunity and political participation and a gaping chasm now exists between the government and the people.  Scholars and pundits worry increasingly about the depletion of social capital and the loss of “mutuality”.

While we may quibble about details and degree, thinkers across the political spectrum are writing and talking more and more about the risks of this deterioration and the possible remedies to it.  But while we might find convergence on the diagnosis, there is nothing close to consensus on the causes and remedies.

Some find the source of decay in the expansion of government into every aspect of our lives and the increasing centralization and bureaucratization that make government more and more remote from and inaccessible to us.  Even neoliberalism failed to deliver a smaller more accessible state; protecting the market, it turns out, is pretty expensive and quite intrusive.  So Australian John Keane has pronounced the death of representative democracy and the difficult birth of a new “monitory democracy” whose shape and capacity to deliver results is yet to be determined.

Some find the source in creeping authoritarianism, especially in the context of the “war on terrorism” and the expanding security state seeking to become omniscient and omnipresent.  Have a look at the recent piece by Linda McQuaig here and an older piece by Chris Selley here.

Others see the source in the unconstrained rise of individualism and consumerism, fed particularly by a neoliberal ideology that defines us – and treats us – entirely in terms of our self-interest, and views mutuality and interdependence as constraints to freedom.  In this frame, we become consumers and workers – not citizens.  Whatever one thinks of Cameron’s “Big Society” initiative, his concern that society is broken seems so much healthier than Margaret Thatcher’s pronouncement that there is no such thing as society, reflecting the dangerously atomised view of humanity that has prevailed ever since.  So republican theorists such as Michael Sandel now wonder, in the face of the hollowing out of civil society, how we might begin to rebuild a sense of the common good and the civic virtue necessary for its pursuit.

Yet others see the real problem as the intolerable growth of inequality over the last decades that has no equal since the twenties and thirties, before the great depression.  Then, as now, social trust and democracy were undermined as inevitably too was the capacity to develop a shared sense of the public good. So we now have thinkers as diverse as Francis Fukuyama and Bill Moyers worrying about plutocracy, and we are confronted every day by new evidence of how money shapes politics.

My own bias is that all these explanations have merit, that the task of revitalising our democracy is formidable and will involve, at least,  electoral and institutional reform, reinventing and opening up government, putting the brakes on the rise of the security state, and tackling the unsupportable growth in inequality.  But I fear that we are in something of a catch 22.  These changes won’t happen from the inside and it is not clear that we have the civic will or energy to drive them from the outside.

Aaron Wherry is running a terrific series on whether our Parliament matters and what we might do to make it matter more.  The short answer, I would propose,  is that it matters only as much as our Parliamentarians  actually want to achieve anything and only to the extent that they are willing to openly debate the big issues on our behalf.  It is fascinating and sort of horrifying to hear the complaints of some departing members of Parliament about how powerless and alienated they felt, unable to represent their constituents or to  escape the narrow confines of party discipline.  It seems that Parliament cannot find the courage to be relevant on its own.  While political parties may be losing their hold on Canadians, they continue to shape our democratic institutions.  And the gap between the government and the people simply continues to grow.

Preston Manning recently wrote an insightful piece on the limits of political parties and the importance of an independent civil society. Political parties, Manning says,  too easily become machines designed only for winning, more skilled at identifying and avoiding risk than at developing public policy.  Parties increasingly treat us not as citizens but as consumers.  It’s easier.  Rather than engaging us in honest but risky debates, they market themselves, pandering to our preferences, feeding our prejudices, and smearing their opponents.  Manning argues that grassroots social movements are key to getting unstuck.  They are, he says, an essential element of our “democratic infrastructure” and have been at the heart of most important social and political change here and throughout the world.  He has a point. Big change involves risk and difficult trade offs, exactly what governments prefer to avoid and political parties typically duck.

Put simply, we only get Parliament that matters if citizens force the issue.  Absent an engaged and independent civil society, we get the politics of banality and brutality, pretending that we can balance the books without real sacrifice, that climate change will right itself, that crime policies that have never worked anywhere will make us safer, and that there’s just not much we can do about growing inequality so why talk about it.  And here lies the Catch-22: Citizens become further disenchanted; elections and parties lose their hold.  And we stay stuck, unable even to begin to address the big issues.

Of course,  not all grassroots movements serve to strengthen democracy.  The Tea Party, for example, seems less a movement than a crowd of isolated individuals held together, if at all, by fear and resentment and a sterile notion of freedom that denies their responsibilities to one another.  Such movements inevitably divide the world into villains and victims, those in the light and those in the darkness, and, in so doing,  stifle debate and contrary information and undermine both democracy and civil society.

We in Canada don’t really have any equivalent to the Tea Party, notwithstanding a few pretenders here and there.  Our political culture – its traditions of pragmatism, civility, tolerance, peaceful resolution of conflict, and mutual aid – may inhibit the rise or at least spread of such anti-everything movements.  But here too we see signs of decline in civil society, in voting certainly, but in joining and engaging too.  Our voluntary sector seems weaker than in the past and more dependent on government.  Certainly we have our share of dedicated people joining together for a healthier, more equal and sustainable future but there hasn’t been the take-up we saw in previous decades for such public issues.  Public space has shrunk and many of us seem to have retreated into our private milieux.

So how do we break out?  Surely, sooner or later, we will say “enough”.  Surely, sooner or later, we will stop waiting for inspiration from a new political saviour.  Sooner or later, we will say we cannot simply stand and watch.  We are talking more these days about democracy.  We seem increasingly to understand that however fortunate we may be, we cannot afford to be complacent.  And, most important, some Canadians, often young Canadians, are getting involved, increasingly taking responsibility, not waiting for our political leaders or political parties, both locally and globally, independent of government, to do what they can to make things better.

But if we are to make our democracy stronger, we need new forms of association, new ways to engage citizens in defining the Canada they want and the options for getting there and for making our democracy work.   Any such grassroots initiatives will have to meet particular challenges in Canada: our diversity means we won’t find our answers by trying to impose a singular notion of what it means to be Canadian; our geography requires that we harness new technologies to complement traditional forms of engagement; and what we ask of citizens must recognize that, for many, time is squeezed and opportunities to participate are limited.   And if these new approaches are to elevate our democracy,  they  must lift us beyond our personal preferences, prejudices and resentments and engage us in addressing the real challenges we face together.  And that means that they must be built on a foundation of democratic values and a belief in the possibility of progress.  We will not find our path in nostalgia for the past, complacency about the present or cynicism about the future,

Leadnow.ca is a new initiative in democratic association designed to address precisely these concerns, drawing on the surprising energy of a few committed young Canadians, open to people from every region and sector, and offering a chance to chart the Canada they want, and to act in concert to pursue that agenda. It is creating opportunities across all regions and sectors to debate the moral choices, assess the evidence, and then work together to create change, to get the ideas that matter on the political agenda.  Leadnow.ca continues to see government as a force for good so long as an engaged citizenry pushes it to focus on the needs of Canadians and the future of Canada.

Their message: now is the time for citizens to lead.  Whether or not we find the will to get engaged, we will get the democracy we deserve.

2011-03-04 Let’s give ’em a hand! UK campaign against Lockheed Martin and the census launched: Count Me Out

 Lockheed Martin, War Economy (includes Cdn Census & Trials)  No Responses »
Mar 042011
 

(Note: Background information is at    Lockheed Martin, index to postings includes census trials)

OK, let’s give them a hand!  All you have to do is forward this email.   The UK census is March 27.   We’ve got 3 weeks.   WHO do you know that knows people in the UK?  

Emma  (the U.K.)  has more ideas  – – she writes:

Campaign Against Arms Trade gave me your email as they said you were involved in boycotting the Canadian census.

We’ve just set up a campaign in the UK called “Count Me Out: Action against the 2011 census“. It was launched today (3/4/2011) with an action outside the Office for National Statistics. The aim is to raise awareness about the links between Lockheed Martin and the census, and to bring together people taking action against the census for a variety of reasons.

It would be great if you’d like to support us in any way, be it promoting the campaign to interested people, tweeting about it (#countmeout) – if you use twitter, and ‘liking’ it on Facebook.

We have a blog on our website and if you had the time or interest it would be great to have a contribution from you, either in the form of a blog post or some comments if you don’t have much time.

It would be great to hear about your experience with the Canadian census.

Best wishes,

Emma
www.countmeout.me.uk

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

SENT:  3/4/2011 10:06 AM 

Many thanks Emma! 

I will follow through on your suggestions. 

Sandra

2011-03-03 Contact organizations that work with people with disabilities.

 Mercury poisoning, dental amalgams. See also Vaccinations.  No Responses »
Mar 032011
 

Hello Donelda,

Arising out of our conversation about vaccinations and autism (and other developmental problems);

Serendipitously, there is a public consultation process – just announced – –  see   2011-03-01  Most mercury-filled products to be banned in Canada.  Mercury is still safe in the human mouth but no where else.  The Government invites your input.

The public consultations can be used to good advantage if we can get the word spread far enough.

The effect of allowing the poisoning by heavy metals and other “foreign” ingredients in vaccinations is to promote the development of an industry based on the damage done.  It is an incredibly inhumane approach.  I get angry every time I think about it.  Hence my motivation on this.

Doctors and other health professionals need to be drawn in, to support the petitioning effort.  

The doctors have a choice between
– the propaganda  or
– opening up their minds to the accumulated information.�
– Common sense also has a role to play in all this. 

Please see the  INDEX  to heavy metals, foreign proteins and DNA in vaccinations,  PLUS mercury in dental amalgams.

WHY  VACCINATION + DENTAL AMALGAMS?   the foetus and infant receive mercury off-gassed from the Mother’s dental amalgams, in utero and through breast milk.  The ensuing vaccinations place another round of heavy metals and foreign proteins into the baby’s system.   The INDEX is to a set of postings that pulls the threads together.   

The purpose of the Index  is to empower people through the simple tool of information.   The second tool is solidarity by connecting with each other. 

I hope that people will circulate the information to every organization that works with people with disabilities.  Disabled people also need to speak for themselves.  It is their stories that will change the world and stop the production of more and more damaged babies.

The parents of autistic children and of children with developmental problems who see a link between the poisons and the developmental outcomes need to send a short email to the public input process.  We need to collectively put a stop to what the medi-care system is doing.  

See  2011-03-01 concerning the public comment period.    Email:  mercury@ec.gc.ca

The Government’s effort is about mercury.  It is not helpful to limit it to mercury – –  it is mercury PLUS that is responsible for the developmental problems. 

Health Canada and Environment Canada need to be held accountable.  They have to stop covering for the Pharmaceutical Corporations.  And start performing the job that tax-payers pay them to do:  they have only one responsibility and that is to the PUBLIC GOOD.

2011-03-02 ESSENTIAL video of Citizens United v. FCC (U.S. Supreme Court decision re corporate funding of election campaigns)

 Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category)  No Responses »
Mar 022011
 

Janet  writes: 

We must ALL watch this 8-minute YouTube!!   & then circulate it like crazy….. (please!) 

And join w. others to make the kinds of changes that are needed!!   (I agree.  It is American but it is very important for understanding the problem and the solutions.)

Begin forwarded message:

From: “ecoSanity.org” <bulletin@ecosanity.org>

Date: March 1, 2011 1:30:56 PM GMT-05:00

Subject: ECOSANE ALERT – Essential video of Citizens United v. FCC  

WATCH: Citizens United v. FCC (8:51)

At this crucial time in the race — and one-time chance — to avoid passing the remaining tipping points in our fragile global ecosystem that would result in irreversible runaway climate breakdown (unsurvivable for most life), the allocation to fossil fuel industries of unlimited power to lobby for their special, carbon-addicted, eco-negligent interests is insane and (should be) criminal.

To those of us who see the madness, inequity and impossibility of perpetual growth, EMERGENCY action at EMERGENCY speed is the only potential response that *may be* proportional to the scale and pace of the accelerating climate threats we must all face.

Get informed.  Get inspired.  Get involved and help to motivate bold, new, transformative approaches and just, resilient, EMERGENCY RESPONSES to the climate crisis — FAST.

Thank you!  Glenn MacIntosh, Founder: ecoSanity.org.

Latest on blogSanity

– VIDEO: Citizens United v. FEC: Why democracy only works when people are in charge
– ARTICLE: Models guiding climate policy ‘dangerously optimistic’
– VIDEO: Rick Mercer rant: Stephen Harper, secrets and lies
– VIDEOS: 2nd Amazon drought in 5 years = massive CO2 release, fears of up to 85% dieback this century!

Calendar

– March 6-12 – (Re)Generation: Voice of Canada (Canada-wide get-togethers to regenerate our democracy)
– March 12 – International Women’s Day Toronto 2011: Rally, March, Fair
– March 17, 24 – Peaceworks Activist Training Series (Toronto, by registration only)
– March 26 – Earth Hour 2011 

  ECOSANE ACTION

Contributions to ecoSanity.org have a direct, noticeable impact on our ability to mobilize and advocate for bold, effective, emergency action to confront the climate crisis and the profound social injustices it poses.  Please support our work to communicate the hard, undiluted truth about this unprecedented threat and the extreme urgency with which we must all respond on a massive scale — FAST.

            Make a secure one-time or monthly donation today. Thank you!                     

 ecoSanity.org is an independent, hard truth, environmental and social justice, volunteer activist and advocacy organization based in Toronto, Canada.

 Our focus: The clear, present, accelerating global emergency of the climate crisis and the unprecedented threat it poses RIGHT NOW to the survival of most life this century.

We advocate for: Emergency worldwide mobilization at war-time speed to restore our rapidly destabilizing global climate to the safe balance that allowed us to evolve.

2011-03-02 Saskatchewan spending $30M on nuclear research centre

 Nuclear  No Responses »
Mar 022011
 

It will be game over for climate change.  These reactors are for tar sands expansion.  We are organizing the Green Party in Saskatchewan, federal and provincial, as fast as we can but it’s not fast enough.   /Sandra

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/03/02/sk-nuclear-money-1102.html   

Sk. spending $30M on nuclear research centre

CBC News

Posted: Mar 2, 2011 11:50 AM ET

Last Updated: Mar 2, 2011 12:12 PM ET

Beginning of Story

The U of S is home to the Canadian Light Source synchrotron and will soon be expanding its nuclear infrastructure. (File/CBC)

The Saskatchewan government will spend $30 million to create a new nuclear research centre at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

The money, to be spent over seven years, will be used to expand nuclear medicine but also materials science and small reactor design, Premier Brad Wall said in a news release.

University of Saskatchewan president Peter MacKinnon said the research centre will focus on nuclear science and engineering, materials and neutron science and nuclear health sciences.

There will be new staff hired and academic programs added in nuclear engineering, nuclear and reactor physics and radiochemistry, MacKinnon said.

The money will add to the existing nuclear research infrastructure on campus, which includes the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, the SLOWPOKE research reactor and the STOR-M Tokamak device, MacKinnon said

In January, the province and the federal government also pledged $12 million for new equipment and research aimed at making medical isotopes at the synchrotron.

In 2009, public hearings were held that looked at the possibility of building a massive nuclear power plant in Saskatchewan.

The government later said it wouldn’t move forward with that idea, although small reactors were still a possibility.

2011-03-02 Mercury toxicity. Mercury in dental amalgams is not stable.

 Mercury poisoning, dental amalgams. See also Vaccinations.  No Responses »
Mar 022011
 

http://www.talkinternational.com/use-dmps-chelation.html

Mercury Toxicity and the Use of DMPS Chelation

by John C. Cline, M.D., B.Sc.,C.C.F.P.

Medical Director — Oceanside Medical Clinic

History of Dental Amalgams

For the past two centuries, mercury amalgam use in dentistry has increased in popularity as the preferred tooth filling material.(1,2,3) However, when mercury amalgam was initially introduced into North America in the 1830s, its use was vehemently opposed by the dental licensing authority, the American Society of Dental Surgeons and official policies were adopted to prohibit the use of this material. Their concern was focussed upon the safety of placing mercury into humans since many toxic effects of mercury were well known; including dementia and loss of motor coordination. In spite of this official prohibition, several dentists continued to use mercury amalgam and some were subsequently suspended for malpractice. The popularity of this inexpensive, durable and easy to work with material continued to rise amongst dentists and by 1856, there were so many dentists using mercury amalgam that the American Society of Dental Surgeons was disbanded by overwhelming opposition to their policy surrounding amalgam fillings. Following this, in 1859 the American Dental Association was founded on the premise that mercury amalgam was a safe and desirable tooth filling material. Because of the low cost of amalgam, dentistry was now available to the masses for the first time. By 1895, the mercury amalgam mixture of metals was modified and this formula continues to be used to this day, with a typical mixture containing 50% metallic mercury, 35% silver, 9% tin, 6% copper, and a trace of zinc. Mercury amalgam continues to be the material preferred by 92% of dentists for restoring posterior teeth.(4,5) and over one hundred tons of mercury is now used in dentistry in the U.S. each year.

Mercury release from dental amalgams 

The basic premise for regarding the amalgam filling as safe was the assumption that the amalgamation process resulted in a stabilization of the normally volatile mercury. This premise has now been shown to be entirely false. Since the 1980s, it has been well established that mercury vapor is continuously released from amalgam fillings. The release of this vapor into the mouth increases immediately after chewing(6) or tooth brushing(7) and can result in a daily absorbed dose of mercury which exceeds the excretory capacity via the urine and stool. It has now been well established and published by several authorities, including the World Health Organization, that amalgam tooth fillings are, by far, the major source of mercury exposure for the general population.(8) This was recently reiterated by Health Canada in its 1995 position paper on dental amalgam.(9) According to the World Health Organization’s expert committee, the daily human exposure to mercury vapor from amalgam fillings ranges from 3micrograms to 17micrograms as compared to a maximum of 2.6micrograms from all other sources. It is disturbing to note that mercury was recently removed from latex paint in North America due to the health risks associated with inhalation of mercury vapor from the paint. Exposure to mercury from paint was estimated to be 4.6micrograms per day for approximately two weeks following application of the paint.(10) If mercury in latex paint was clearly considered such a health risk, why are amalgam fillings such a source of scornful dialog amongst the dental and medical community when amalgams are a much greater source and a far more persistent source of inhaled mercury? 

Pharmacokinetics of inhaled mercury 

Mercury vapor released from dental amalgams is efficiently absorbed through the alveoli. Following absorption through the lungs, elemental mercury vapor (Hg0) is only found very transiently in the blood. Due to its high lipid solubility elemental mercury is rapidly transported through cell membranes (including cell membranes of the cells comprising the blood-brain barrier). Once inside metabolically active cells, elemental mercury (Hg0) is then oxidized by catalase to form ionic mercury (Hg2+). Ionic mercury (Hg2+) is not lipid soluble and it therefore results in a high degree of retention of absorbed mercury and a tissue half life ranging from days to decades depending on the particular organ.(11,8,12,13,14,15) This phenomenon clarifies why, studies have repeatedly demonstrated that after placement of amalgam fillings, blood and urinary mercury levels remain relatively low even though many organs develop concentrations of mercury many times greater than that of the blood.(16,17,18) Thus, blood or non-challenged urinary mercury levels bear little relationship to the total body burden of mercury gradually acquired from amalgam fillings.(19) 

Biochemical effects of inhaled mercury

 Once mercury enters the cell, it ultimately becomes bound covalently to the sulfhydryl groups found in glutathione, and to a lesser degree to cysteine, biotin, lipoic acid, coenzyme A as well as to other protein sulfhydryl groups. The major intracellular sulfhydryl compound in mammals is the tripeptide glutathione. Glutathione and the glutathione rich enzyme, glutathione peroxidase are probably the most important antioxidant defenses in most species including the human.(20) Mercury has been shown to cause a marked reduction in glutathione production and glutathione peroxidase activity and thus it may result in a marked rise in oxidative stress within the brain and other organs.(21,22,23) Apart from the loss of antioxidant protection from mercury induced inhibition of glutathione and glutathione peroxidase, mercury results in a marked increase in free radical generation through Fenton reactions and other mechanisms.(22) 

In addition to its key role in antioxidant defenses, glutathione is also a critical component in the liver’s detoxification mechanisms. Enzymes within the liver must form conjugates between glutathione and certain toxic metabolites, organic xenobiotics, and heavy metals to enable these toxins to be eliminated from the body. This process of glutathione conjugation makes toxic molecules more water soluble and enables their excretion via the bile or through the kidney. If liver glutathione production is markedly inhibited, as occurs when mercury accumulates within hepatocytes, mercury and numerous other toxic substances may more readily accumulate throughout the body because the excretion of such substances are significantly impaired.(24,25,26,22) Furthermore, because the majority of mercury is excreted through the stool and urine as a glutathione conjugate, individuals with long standing body burdens of mercury (and thus depleted glutathione production) may not demonstrate elevated levels of mercury in the urine, blood or stool when specimens are gathered in the absence of a challenge with an appropriate metal chelating agent. Thus, tissue biopsy of target organs or a provocation test measuring urinary mercury after the administration of a chelating agent, may be the only valid means to assess chronic mercury body burden.(27,28,29,30) 

Uptake and distribution of inhaled mercury 

Numerous studies have been performed demonstrating the body tissue uptake and distribution of mercury from dental amalgams. Studies using whole body imaging in primates with dental amalgams have clearly demonstrated that the amalgams result in high levels of mercury in the kidney, intestinal tract, brain, liver, and other organs. (31,16) Of great concern are human fetal and neonatal studies which demonstrate that mercury concentrations in kidney, liver, and brain correlate significantly with maternal amalgam surfaces.(32) Furthermore, a recently published study has firmly established the presence of mercury from dental amalgam in the milk of nursing mothers.(33)

 Clinical effects of inhaled mercury 

The impact of chronic, low level mercury exposure is now known to adversely impact numerous other cellular and organ system processes.(19) Ionic mercury is antigenic and may contribute significantly to autoimmune processes.(34,35) Mercury is also immunotoxic and it may result in immune suppression and allergy.(36,37,38,39) Recent research has also demonstrated that multiple strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria develop rapidly in the gut and oral cavity of both humans as well as non-human primates following the placement of amalgam fillings.(40) 

Amalgam fillings have been shown to contribute to mercury accumulation in human and animal kidneys and this has been associated with a significant decrease in renal function.(41,42) Human fertility has also been shown to be significantly impacted by low level exposure to mercury vapor. A recent study examining 7000 dental assistants demonstrated that this group experiences a fertility rate approximately 40% less than that of women who have no occupational exposure to mercury.(43) 

Of perhaps greatest concern is the potential role of low level, chronic mercury exposure upon central nervous system function. It is now well established, that amalgam derived mercury accumulates in monkey and human brain tissues.(41,31,13) Mercury has been shown to concentrate selectively in human brain regions involved with memory function and it may play a significant role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease.(44,45) Other reports have shown subclinical motor and neuropsychological deficits amongst dentists and dental workers as compared to control subjects.(46,47) Mounting evidence has lead some to suggest that, in fact, mercury from amalgams may play a highly significant role in the etiology of numerous mental illnesses and neuropsychological disorders.(48, 49,50,51,52,53) 

Pharmacology of DMPS (Dimaval; 2,3-dimercapto-1-propane sulfonate, Na+)

DMPS (sodium salt of 2,3-dimercapto-1-propane sulfonic acid) is not a new drug. It was developed in the former Soviet Union in 1958. In 1978, DMPS became available to the western world following its synthesis and production by the German pharmaceutical company, Heyl.54 DMPS is a chelating agent in the group of dithiols, along with dimercaprol (BAL, British anti-Lewisite) and succimer (DMSA, 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid). 

DMPS has been used extensively in Europe and on a limited basis in North America as a treatment for mercury (55), arsenic (56) or lead intoxication (57). It is a registered drug in Germany and, in fact, due to its long record of safety, is now available without prescription.(28) When compared with D-penicillamine and N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine, DMPS was the most effective agent to clear mercury from the blood of victims of the Iraqi mercury disaster in the 1960’s. (58) 

In addition to its safety and utility as an agent for detoxification, DMPS has been used frequently as an agent to approximate mercury body burden.(56,59) As described above, resting urine or blood levels of mercury bear little relationship to body burden of mercury in cases of long standing, low level intoxication, such as that which may occur from dental amalgams.(27), 

There is a great wealth of scientific literature on the use of DMPS as both a diagnostic tool and a treatment agent in cases of acute and chronic heavy metal intoxication. Much of the European literature surrounding DMPS has been summarized in the English language in a thorough scientific monograph which is in its sixth edition.60 This monograph forms the basis for the rational use of DMPS by clinicians throughout the world. This monograph also formed the basis for the FDA sanctioned, multicentered trial on the use of DMPS in the evaluation of mercury body burden and response to mercury detoxification therapy in polysymptomatic patients with dental amalgams. (As an aside, Dr. Cline was a participant in the official training program for researchers participating in this multicentered trial and he achieved a mark in the 90th percentile range on the examination required for participation).

 In the DMPS monograph, there is extensive reference to the work being done by European clinicians in the treatment of the polysymptomatic patient suffering from demonstrable mercury body burden. DMPS is initially used to assess the body burden of mercury and other heavy metals through provocation testing. Several methodological variations of this test are described. Because of the high degree of patient compliance, and because this methodology is in keeping with the pharmacokinetics of DMPS, I have elected to use the provocation testing methodology advocated by the German toxicologist, M. Daunderer, M.D.(61, 60) In this methodology, DMPS is given as a slow IV push. The patient then provides the first voided specimen after one to one and one half hours. The urine is then sent overnight to a toxicology laboratory. Mercury and other heavy metals are reported as micrograms metal per gram of urinary creatinine. The creatinine compensates for variations in urinary dilution. This has proven to be a simple test to perform, with a high degree of patient compliance. The quantity of heavy metal returned has generally correlated well to the symptom severity of the patients I have seen. Furthermore, the changes in metal excretion with this provocation test have corresponded well to the changes in symptom severity of the patients which I have seen. The provocation test forms a rational approach to the use of DMPS. When high quantities of toxic metals are no longer found with provocation urine testing, the DMPS is of no further value and its use may discontinued.

 As mentioned previously, the pharmacology of DMPS has been extensively described.(54,28) Both oral and parenteral preparations of this agent are available. Pharmacokinetic data on both preparations are available.(62,63) The parentaral from of this agent allows for better control over the dosage in highly sensitive patients (the treatment can be interrupted if the patient experiences adverse effects). The parenteral route also avoids transport of metals from the gut to the liver through the portal circulation and may be better tolerated by the highly sensitive patient.

 The metabolism of DMPS has also been studied thoroughly. DMPS is excreted largely through the urine. Before its excretion, DMPS is biotransformed largely to acyclic and cyclic disulfides. This mode of biotransformation may suggest one advantage of DMPS over the other dithiol chelator, DMSA (succimer). As opposed to DMPS, DMSA is biotransformed almost completely to a cysteine conjugate. Because of this, DMSA may lead to further depletion of cysteine and glutathione stores, which are often already low in metal toxic patients.(64,62,65,23) DMPS undergoes both renal and biliary excretion.(66) DMPS is distributed in both an intracellular and extracellular manner.(66,67,68) However, Unlike most other chelating agents, such as BAL and EDTA, DMPS does not cross the blood brain barrier and does not redistriute mercury to the brain(28). 

The toxicity of DMPS is well known and, in this regard, it provides very distinct advantages to the officially approved dithiol chelator, Dimercaprol (BAL). Although BAL continues to be stockpiled by the military in preparation for chemical warfare attack with the arsenical nerve gas, lewisite, it is 300 times more toxic than DMPS, has no corresponding challenge test and it clearly causes redistribution of metals to the brain.(69) Animal studies on the acute and chronic toxicity of DMPS have been carried out and the results illustrate the safety of this agent and its wide therapeutic window.(60) Numerous human studies have failed to uncover any significant adverse impacts of DMPS upon human renal function, liver function, cardiovascular system, blood, immune system, G.I. tract or any other organs or systems. Minor or avoidable side effects such as local irritation at the site of parenteral infusion or hypotension with overly rapid infusion of the agent have been reported.(60)  

 Rationale For Using DMPS:  

The scientific rationale for using DMPS in determining the body burden of and the removal of mercury and other heavy metals has been outlined above. The clinical rationale for using DMPS in people suffering from idiopathic polysymptomatic disorders such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome is as follows. Current scientific understanding of these disorders suggests that the etiologies are multifactorial and may have significant environmental components including accumulation of heavy metals in key target organs. Most patients coming to my clinic with these chronic disorders have already attended several practitioners and have tried all sorts of therapies, usually to no avail. These patients are well educated regarding the various possible underlying etiologies and want to explore the possibility that heavy metals may be an underlying factor. I have observed that in most individuals in which mercury and other heavy metals are present, that a major improvement in their health usually occurs when they undergo detoxification using DMPS. This is in keeping with the observations made by numerous clinicians in Europe and in the USA by the principle investigators in the multicenter phase III, FDA approved clinical trial mentioned earlier. Finally, I want to emphasize that DMPS is not being utilized as the sole treatment in individuals suffering from these disorders, but rather it is being utilized as a method to relieve the patient of significant physiological stresses by decreasing the body burden of heavy metals. Although further research is clearly required in this area, my clinical experience over the last year in using DMPS has convinced me that this valuable agent has a key role to play in the management of highly disabling and previously intractable cases of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. There are many patients in my practice who are now healthy productive citizens instead of hopeless invalids, thanks to the use of DMPS administered in a safe manner. 

Click here to view the References for this article.  

 

2011-03-01 Most mercury-filled products to be banned in Canada. Mercury is still safe in the human mouth but no where else. The Government invites your input.

 Mercury poisoning, dental amalgams. See also Vaccinations.  No Responses »
Mar 012011
 

(From item #5 below)   “Please provide your written comments (INSERT:  your story on dental amalgams)  on the proposed regulation by May 12th, 2011 to:

Address:
Waste Reduction and Management Division
Environment Canada
351 St. Joseph Boulevard, 14th floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3

Email:   mercury@ec.gc.ca

Telephone:   819-997-5876

Fax:   819-997-3068″

– – – – – – – – – – – – — – – – – – – – — – – – –

With thanks to Grant:

Hi…interesting (article below)   Most mercury-filled products to be banned in Canada.

Mercury is still safe in the human mouth but no where else. 

= = = = = =  = = = = = = = = = = = = = == =

CONTENTS

  1. RESPONSE TO GRANT AND HIS REPLY
  2. CTV NEWS MARCH 1, MOST MERCURY-FILLED PRODUCTS TO BE BANNED IN CANADA  “The public has until May 12 to comment on the new regulations.”
  3. THE MEETINGS AT SIMPSONWOOD –  BIG GOVERNMENT, BIG PHARMA RE MERCURY IN VACCINATIONS.
  4. EMAIL TO THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE (HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT).   MY COMMENTS.   YOURS?  OTHERS?
  5. THE GOVERNMENT INVITES YOUR COMMENTS RE MERCURY
  6. CBC NEWS REPORT ON THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO BAN MERCURY-FILLED PRODUCTS
  7. INPUT FROM DEVELOPER OF 12 VACCINES, MERCK SCIENTIST DR. HILLIMAN
  8. HEALTH CANADA WEBPAGES ON MERCURY

— – – – – – – – – – – – – – – —  — –

(1)   RESPONSE TO GRANT AND  HIS REPLY

I just talked with a woman at Health Canada.  They are working with Dept Envir on this legislation.  I gave the woman an ear full;  my apologies to her.  Encouraged her to take the information we’ve assembled and input it into the Government deliberations.  (www.sandrafinley.ca)   Click on  INDEX to heavy metals ( mercury is just one), foreign proteins and DNA in vaccinations PLUS mercury in dental amalgams.   

See below, concerning the public comment opportunity.    Email:  mercury@ec.gc.ca

Altho they don’t often listen, it’s worth a try.  I’ll put it out into my network and to VRAN, also to a woman I just met who works with autistic kids and said that 25% of the parents relate their child’s autism to a vaccination.

We should be able to get the vaccine people and the dental amalgam people together and push hard to get legislation that will actually lead to a reduction in the disease and developmental outcomes caused by these neuro-toxins, teratogens and carcinogens that we are pumping into not only ourselves and our kids, but into the environment where it poisons other creatures, too.

The Health Canada representative raised the complexity issue.  I agreed and pointed out the influence of big money from the pharmaceutical industry and from the mercury amalgam people that sit on the Board of the American Dental Association that is still promoting dental amalgams (mercury) as safe.    Pointed out the European countries that have banned dental amalgams.  Also that the Government and dental professions are more concerned about covering their  (@*$)  behinds than they are in actually addressing the problem.   Were it ever to be publicly acknowledged that there is a link between the vaccinations and developmental problems, for example, the repercussions for the “officials” would be monumental (witness the conversations at Simpsonwood (item #3  below).

I also pointed out that the medical people do not relate health to immune systems – –  if you understand how the immune system works you will understand that the same toxins will produce different outcomes in different people.

/Sandra

MORE FROM GRANT

Thanks Sandra……I am still telling a lot of people about this (makin noise)…maybe someday the right one will hear it…..I have even spoken to a major newsgroup leader from the US in Maine who wants to interview me.

Maybe the “Intellectuals” at the top will learn something & start to listen.

= = = = = = =  ==  = = = = = = = = = = = == =  =

(2)    CTV NEWS MARCH 1, MOST MERCURY-FILLED PRODUCTS TO BE BANNED IN CANADA

Most mercury-filled products to be banned in Canada   (the link is no longer valid)

01/03/2011 10:02:14 AM

CTV.ca News Staff
The federal government is proposing new rules that would ban the manufacture, import, and sale of most mercury-containing products in Canada.

The new regulations are designed to reduce the amount of mercury entering the environment in Canada.

Some mercury-containing products will still be allowed to be manufactured and imported. These include scientific instruments, dental fillings and fluorescent lamps. But there will be limits on the amount of mercury allowed in different types of fluorescent lamps.

“These proposed regulations would eliminate about 4.5 tonnes of mercury in products currently entering the Canadian marketplace each year,” Environment Minister Peter Kent said in a statement released on Monday.

“It is the first time that the Government of Canada is broadly regulating mercury found in manufactured products.”

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq noted that mercury is a known neurotoxin. It can transform into methylmercury, a harmful form of the substance that is absorbed by living organisms, such as fish, and becomes more concentrated as it moves up the food chain.

“Ingesting methylmercury can affect the neuro-development and learning ability of small children. Keeping products that contain mercury out of the marketplace helps to protect the health of Canadians,” she said.

The new regulations will also provide for improved label information for consumers about the level of mercury in the products and how to safely dispose of them.

The public has until May 12 to comment on the new regulations.

== = = =  = = = = ==  ==  = = = = = = = = = == = =

(3)    THE MEETINGS AT SIMPSONWOOD,  BIG GOVERNMENT, BIG PHARMA RE MERCURY IN VACCINATIONS.

FROM:    2009-07-25   Vaccinations:  Deadly Immunity by Robert F Kennedy Jr  (Role of Big Pharma)

EXCERPT:

July 25, 2009  In June 2000, a group of top government scientists and health officials gathered for a meeting at the isolated Simpsonwood conference center in Norcross, Georgia. Convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the meeting was held at this Methodist retreat center, nestled in wooded farmland next to the Chattahoochee River, to ensure complete secrecy. The agency had issued no public announcement of the session — only private invitations to fifty-two attendees. There were high-level officials from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, the top vaccine specialist from the World Health Organization in Geneva and representatives of every major vaccine manufacturer, including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Wyeth and Aventis Pasteur. All of the scientific data under discussion, CDC officials repeatedly reminded the participants, was strictly “embargoed.” There would be no making photocopies of documents, no taking papers with them when they left.   Internal documents reveal that Eli Lilly, which first developed thimerosal, knew from the start that its product could cause damage — and even death — in both animals and humans.  The federal officials and industry representatives had assembled to discuss a disturbing new study that raised alarming questions about the safety of a host of common childhood vaccines administered to infants and young children. According to a CDC epidemiologist named Tom Verstraeten, who had analyzed the agency’s massive database containing the medical records of 100,000 children, a mercury-based preservative in the vaccines — thimerosal — appeared to be responsible for a dramatic increase in autism and a host of other neurological disorders among children. “I was actually stunned by what I saw,” Verstraeten told those assembled at Simpsonwood, citing the staggering number of earlier studies that indicate a link between thimerosal and speech delays, attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and autism. Since 1991, when the CDC and the FDA had recommended that three additional vaccines laced with the preservative be given to extremely young infants — in one case, within hours of birth — the estimated number of cases of autism had increased fifteenfold, from one in every 2,500 children to one in 166 children. . . .

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =  = =

(4)    EMAIL TO THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE (HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT).   MY COMMENTS.   YOURS?   OTHERS?

TO:    Public Service

Glenda Yeates,   Deputy Minister of Health Canada,  glenda.yeates  AT  hc-sc.gc.ca

Paul Boothe,   Deputy Minister of Environment Canada, paul.boothe  AT  ec.gc.ca

mercury  AT  ec.gc.ca; GR-RM  AT  ec.gc.ca; marie-helene.lacasse  AT  ec.gc.ca; lorrie.hayes  AT  ec.gc.ca

TO:   Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq   Aglukkaq.L  AT  parl.gc.ca

Environment Minister Peter Kent   kentp  AT  parl.gc.ca

Dear Members of the Public Service and Elected Ministers,

RE:  Legislation to ban mercury-filled products EXCEPT FOR dental amalgams and vaccinations that contain mercury (like the flu and tetanus shots).

Please see INDEX to heavy metals, foreign proteins and DNA in vaccinations PLUS mercury in dental amalgams.

This information has been assembled by a number of people.  It is shared through email networks.

The evidence is compelling:  please add dental amalgams and vaccinations that contain mercury to the ban on mercury-filled products.

If you decide against this course of action in the face of the evidence, I will appreciate receipt of an explanation:  why?

Thank-you.

In service to the public,

Sandra Finley

Saskatoon SK

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = == = = = = = = = = = = =

(5)   THE GOVERNMENT INVITES YOUR COMMENTS RE MERCURY

(Obsolete links have been de-activated)

http://www.ec.gc.ca/mercure-mercury/default.asp?lang=En&n=DCEA2675-1

Regulations and Other Management Tools

This section highlights new reports about mercury and new mercury management tools/initiatives as they become available. If you are aware of items that could be added to this section, please contact us.

Proposed Regulations Respecting Products Containing Certain Substances Listed in Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

February, 2011

Environment Canada has published a proposed regulation on mercury-containing products in Canada. The proposed regulation is published in the Canada Gazette, Part  I for a 75-day comment period.

The longer 75-day consultation period allows international firms sufficient time to comment on the proposed regulation, in accordance with Treasury Board of Canada policy.

Any notice of objection must still be filed within 60 days as established under section 333 of CEPA 1999.

Please provide your written comments on the proposed regulation by May 12th, 2011 to:

Address:
Waste Reduction and Management Division
Environment Canada
351 St. Joseph Boulevard, 14th floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3

Email:   mercury@ec.gc.ca

Telephone:   819-997-5876

Fax:   819-997-3068

Risk Management Strategy for Mercury

On October 19th, 2010, Environment Canada and Health Canada published the Risk Management Strategy for Mercury.

The Risk Management Strategy for Mercury provides a comprehensive and consolidated description of the Government of Canada’s progress to date in managing the risks associated with mercury.  It also outlines objectives, priorities, current and anticipated actions, and monitoring programs in place to address the ongoing risks associated with mercury.

For more information regarding this strategy, please contact:

Chemicals Management Division
Environment Canada
Place Vincent Massey
351 St. Joseph Blvd.
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H3

Email address: GR-RM@ec.gc.ca

Fax number: (819) 994-0007

Final Notice: Pollution Prevention Planning in Respect of Mercury Releases from Dental Amalgam Waste

May, 2010

On May 8th, 2010 Environment Canada published a notice under Part 4 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) outlining requirements to prepare and implement pollution prevention plans for mercury releases from dental amalgam waste. The Notice, published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, targets dental facilities that have not implemented all of the best management practices set out in Appendix A of the Notice or in the “Memorandum of Understanding Respecting the Implementation of the Canada-wide Standard on Mercury for Dental Amalgam Waste” between the Canadian Dental Association and Environment Canada for the voluntary implementation of the Canada-wide Standard on Mercury for Dental Amalgam Waste.

A fact sheet emphasizing key points, combining relevant dates and explaining in greater details specific requirements of the Notice is available.

For more information on the Notice and best management practices with respect to dental amalgam please contact:

Environment Canada – Waste Reduction and Management Division

mercury@ec.gc.ca    (819) 934-6059

For more general information on pollution prevention and pollution prevention plans please contact:

Environment Canada – Innovative Measures Section

LCPEPlansP2-CEPAP2Plans@ec.gc.ca    819-994-0186

Summary of Comments Regarding the Proposed Notice for Dental Amalgam Waste

January, 2010

Interested parties were able to provide comments on the Proposed Notice Regarding Pollution Prevention Planning in Respect of Mercury Releases from Dental Amalgam Waste during a 60-day comment period that ended on June 17, 2009. A summary of comments and Environment Canada’s responses is available.

The Proposed Notice was published on April 18, 2009, in the Canada Gazette, Part I. It outlines proposed requirements to prepare and implement pollution prevention plans for mercury releases from dental amalgam waste.

Proposed Notice Regarding Pollution Prevention Planning in Respect of Mercury Releases from Dental Amalgam Waste

April, 2009

On April 18, 2009 Environment Canada published a Proposed Notice under Part 4 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) outlining proposed requirements to prepare and implement pollution prevention plans for mercury releases from dental amalgam waste. The Proposed Notice, published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for a 60 day comment period, targets dental facilities that have not implemented all of the best management practices set out in the “Memorandum of Understanding Respecting the Implementation of the Canada-wide Standard on Mercury for Dental Amalgam Waste” between the Canadian Dental Association and Environment Canada for the voluntary implementation of the Canada-wide Standard on Mercury for Dental Amalgam Waste. After receiving and considering comments received during this 60 day comment period, a Final Notice requiring the preparation and implementation of pollution prevention plans for mercury releases from dental amalgam waste will be published in Part I of the Canada Gazette.

Please provide your written comments on the Proposed Notice and related schedules by June 17, 2009 to:

Address:

Marie-Hélène Lacasse
Waste Reduction and Management Division
Environment Canada
351 St. Joseph Boulevard, 14th floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3

Email:   marie-helene.lacasse@ec.gc.ca

Telephone:   819-934-6059

Fax:   819-997-3068

Follow-up to Consultations on Regulations for Mercury-Containing Products

August, 2008

Environment Canada has held consultations on Proposed Risk Management Instruments for Mercury-Containing Products (PDF; 259 KB) (HTML). Environment Canada is committed to ensuring that all initiatives aimed at developing risk management measures include a process of meaningful and effective consultation with stakeholders. In keeping with this commitment, Environment Canada hosted multi-stakeholder consultation sessions in Toronto and Vancouver in February 2008. A meeting report (PDF; 82 KB) from these sessions as well as a summary of comments and Environment Canada’s responses (PDF; 99 KB) (HTML) are available. A copy of the presentation given at these sessions is also available upon request by contacting mercury@ec.gc.ca.

Proposed Risk Management Instruments for Mercury-Containing Products

December, 2007

Environment Canada is holding consultations on Proposed Risk Management Instruments for Mercury-Containing Products (PDF; 259 KB) (HTML). This discussion document proposes tools and instruments in order to prohibit or limit mercury use in products, control imports or exports where necessary, and set labelling requirements.

Interested parties are invited to provide written comments on the discussion document by March 7th, 2008. Please send your written questions and/or comments to either of the following addresses:

Please type “Consultation on Proposed Risk Management Instruments for Mercury-Containing Products” in the subject line of your Email message.

Address:   Mercury

Waste Reduction and Management Division
Environmental Stewardship Branch
Environment Canada
70 Cremazie, 6th floor
Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3
Email: mercury@ec.gc.ca

Email:   mercury@ec.gc.ca

Final Notice: Pollution Prevention Planning in respect of Mercury Releases from Mercury Switches in End-of-life Vehicles Processed by Steel Mills.

December, 2007

On December 29, 2007 Environment Canada published a Final Notice under Part 4 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) outlining requirements to prepare and implement pollution prevention plans for mercury releases from mercury switches in end-of-life vehicles processed by steel mills. The Notice, published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, targets vehicle manufacturers and steel mills.

Forms referred in the Notice (Schedule 1 to 5) are to be filled out electronically at the Pollution Prevention Planning Web site at www.ec.gc.ca/cepap2/.

Address:

Marie-Hélène Lacasse
Waste Reduction and Management Division
Environment Canada
70 Cremazie, 6th floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3

Email:   mercury@ec.gc.ca

Telephone:   819-934-6059

Fax:   819-997-30688

Risk Management Strategy for Mercury-containing Products

December, 2006

Environment Canada is holding consultations to obtain the view of Canadians on a Risk Management Strategy for Mercury-containing products (RMS). The RMS provides a framework for the development of control instruments to manage the environmental effects of mercury used in products.

Interested parties are invited to provide written comments on the RMS by March 31st, 2007. Please send your written questions and/or comments to either of the following addresses:

Please type “Consultation on RMS for Mercury-containing Products” in the subject line of your Email message.

Address:

Raihan Butt
Sustainable Consumption Division
National Office of Pollution Prevention
Environment Canada
351 St. Joseph Blvd., 13th Floor
Gatineau QC K1A 0H3

Email:   mercury@ec.gc.ca

Proposed Notice: Pollution Prevention Planning in respect of Mercury Releases from Mercury Switches in End-of-life Vehicles Processed by Steel Mills.

December, 2006

On December 9, 2006 Environment Canada published a Proposed Notice under Part 4 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) outlining proposed requirements to prepare and implement pollution prevention plans for mercury releases from mercury switches in end-of-life vehicles processed by steel mills. The Notice, published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for a 60 day comment period, targets vehicle manufacturers and steel mills. After receiving and considering comments received during this 60 day comment period, a Final Notice requiring the preparation and implementation of pollution prevention plans for mercury releases from mercury switches in end-of-life vehicles processed by steel mills will be published in Part I of the Canada Gazette.

Please provide your written comments on the Proposed Notice and related schedules by February 7, 2007 to:

Address:

Lorrie Hayes
Sustainable Consumption Section
Environment Canada
351 St. Joseph Boulevard, 13th floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3

Email:    lorrie.hayes@ec.gc.ca

Telephone:   819-994-6103

Fax:   819-994-5030

== = = =  = = = = ==  ==  = = = = = = = = = == = =

(6)     CBC NEWS REPORT ON THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO BAN MERCURY-FILLED PRODUCTS

(link no longer valid)

Mercury consumer goods ban proposed

01/03/2011 12:49:57 PM

CBC News
The sale of thermometers, thermostats and batteries containing mercury would be banned in Canada under new regulations proposed by the federal government.

The proposal, announced Monday, would ban the manufacture, import and sale of most mercury containing products starting 2012.

“Keeping products that contain mercury out of the marketplace helps protect the health of Canadians,” said Health Minister Leona Aglukkuq in a statement. Aglukkuq said mercury is a neurotoxin and ingesting methyl mercury – the biologically active form of the metal – can adversely affect the brain development and learning ability of small children.

Environment Minister Peter Kent estimated the new regulations would eliminate 4½ tonnes of mercury entering the Canadian marketplace each year.

The proposed regulations, published over the weekend in the Canada Gazette, Part I, would also set limits on the amount of mercury in some products exempted from the ban such as fluorescent lamps, mercury vapour lamps and automobile headlamps.

No limits on dental fillings

The mercury content would remain without limits in some products, such as dental amalgams, scientific instruments (including laboratory thermometers) and professional photographic film and paper.

“Most mercury products have comparably priced and technically equivalent alternatives,” the proposal says. “In some cases, such as thermostats, mercury-free alternatives offer improved performance and efficiency.”

Over 20 years, the new regulations are expected to reduce release of mercury into the environment by 54,000 kilograms. Over that period, they are expected to cost the government $4.2 million and consumers $5.9 million.

The government noted that annual global damage costs from methyl mercury will reach $10 billion by 2020.

According to the text of the proposed regulations, the only mercury-containing products manufactured in Canada are lamps and neon signs. The government believes they would be able to comply with the new limits without reformulating their products or investing in new equipment or processes.

The public has until May 12 to comment on the proposed rules

= = =  = ==  = = = = = == =  = = = =

(7)    INPUT FROM DEVELOPER OF 12 VACCINES, MERCK SCIENTIST DR. HILLIMAN

With thanks to Jim:

Subject:  12 Vaccines discoverer, Dr. Hilliman, admits cancer and other diseases are spread through vaccines.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/18/leading-vaccine-doctor-states-cancer-linked-to-polio-vaccine.aspx

= = = = = = = = = = = = = == = = =

(8)   HEALTH CANADA WEBPAGES ON MERCURY.  Click on 2010-12-08  Health Canada web pages on mercury

2011-02-28 20,000 Canadians participated in yesterday’s Council of Canadians’ tele-town hall

 Trade Deals, PPPs, Integration Canada-U.S., Water  No Responses »
Feb 282011
 

The Council of Canadians has  50,000+  members.  The work they do is incredibly important. 

It will be an even more powerful statement when Maude Barlow (The Council)  can say:  this is the voice of 100,000 Canadians.   Encourage people to take out a membership.   http://www.canadians.org/    /Sandra

Council of Canadians’ hosts tele-town hall

http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/word-rings/2011/02/council-canadians-hosts-tele-town-hall 

By Pina Belperio      | February 28, 2011 

On Feb. 27, the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public advocacy group held its first ever tele-town hall. The goal was to engage its 50,000+ members in an intimate forum on a cold, snowy Sunday afternoon with the Council’s chair, Maude Barlow. By all accounts, the event was a huge success with over 20,000 Canadians joining in the call. Callers had a chance to learn about the Council’s political campaigns, ask live questions and vote in two live polls.

In addition to celebrating its 25th anniversary last October, Barlow highlighted two big wins for the Council of Canadians, which included the adoption of the UN’s Resolution on the Right to Water and the halting of Schedule 2, a new federal bill that allows mining companies to dump toxic waste into pristine lakes.

The Council along with the Tsilhqot’in Nation fought to protect Fish Lake from Taseko Mines in British Columbia. A federal assessment panel recommended against the Fish Lake project due to adverse environmental effects, but the Council continues to oppose a similar project in Newfoundland, where Brazilian mining giant, Vale Inco plans to use Sandy Pond as a dump site for tailings from its hydromet processing plant in Long Harbour.

“When it comes to water, we have a myth of abundance in Canada, but our federal government is not taking care of our water.” said Barlow.

Barlow is embarking on a new campaign to protect the Great Lakes. Her long-term vision is to work with Canadians, Americans and First Nations to have the Great Lakes designated a Commons, a public trust and a protected bioregion. Barlow will release her new report, “Our Great Lakes Commons: Protecting the Great Lakes Forever” on March 22 (World Water Day)

The Council continues to advocate on the climate justice front, fighting the Harper government’s proposed five-fold increase in Alberta’s tar sands.

“Canada is the only country that ratified Kyoto and then backed out. The tar sands are becoming the largest source of greenhouse gases in the world and we have a proposed pipeline taking raw bitumen down to the Gulf for processing,” said Barlow.

The Councll advocates for a solution that is not market-based such as carbon credits or cap-and-trade,  but encourages people to live within their means.

Trade Thrives After 25 Years
The Council of Canadians was at the forefront of the NAFTA negoatiations and was the first group to sound the alarm on the new Canada-EU trade agreement called CETA: the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. Once again, no public consultation or parliamentary debate. Déjà vu from 25 years ago when the Council of Canadians was fighting the NAFTA deal under the Mulroney government.

What makes CETA different than other trade agreements? If signed it will be the first trade agreement  to allow corporations to access government procurement at all three levels, and will affect hospitals, schools, water, etc. Like NAFTA, CETA has a Chapter 11 provision and allows corporations to challenge local rules if they impede their profits. Watch for the Council’s CETA tour, coming to a neighbourhood near you this spring.

The Council remains on guard and continues to fight the security perimeter deal between Canada and the United States. As Maude told the callers, “This new agreement is actually an American security perimeter around Canada, with all the laws being written in Washington.”

If these agreements are so great, why are they always signed in secrecy as if we’re too stupid to understand what’s being negotiated?

Members ask Live Questions
Callers had the opportunity to ask Maude Barlow questions live.  Concerns ranged from the protection of groundwater, bottled water licences, expansion of the tar sands to the export of Canada’s water.

“NAFTA turned Canada’s energy supply into North America’s energy supply. Essentially, Canada has become America’s gas tank, leading to one of the world’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Cancer clusters are now showing up in children in the First Nations town of Fort Chipewyan,” said Barlow.

Hydraulic fracking (or fracking) has become a hot issue right across the country. Fracking is a new mining technique, where water is pumped into shale rock seams to release the natural gas stored beneath. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Dick Cheney’s firm, Halliburton (from the Iraq war fame) is involved in creating the chemical cocktails used to break the seams apart.

Fracking uses clean water and leaves behind toxic-filled lagoons. Barlow explained that fracking is not better than coal extraction, if it comes at the expense of water.

“We can’t pit air against water.”

Already, Atlantic Canada has placed a moratorium on fracking and the Council is calling for a moratorium on new oil drilling in the Arctic.

Other callers asked about the implications of the government’s recent announcement to allow nuclear shipments to be transported through the Great Lakes to Europe. An absurd concept and a recipe for disaster.

When asked how to engage more Canadians in the election process, Barlow expressed her concerns that an increasing number of young people are choosing not to vote. If a federal election is called in the coming months, Council members are encouraged to attend the All-Candidates meetings and ask those tough questions important to them.

A caller from Williams Lake, B.C. asked what can be done to ensure that revisions to BC’s Water Modernization Act won’t open up the province’s water to water markets, following in Alberta’s footsteps. Barlow explained that the B.C. government is looking to modernize the existing Water Act to allow corporations and wealthy owners to trade and/or hoard water licenses for the future. Helps explain why the Campbell government issued so many water licences under the guise of Independent Power Projects (IPPs). Once a province or territory allows for the export of water, it then becomes a tradable commodity.

The tele-town hall was a great way to simultaneously connect with thousands of other Canadians.  I just wish our elected officials would adopt an open door policy and stop negotiating important deals behind closed doors.

Further Resources:
Film (2010): Water on the Table
Film (2010) Gasland (Hydraulic fracking)

2011-02-25 U.S.A. Main Street Movement erupts as thousands across the country protest the War on the Middle Class

 Corporatocracy or Democracy or Administrative State or WHAT?, Lockheed Martin, War Economy (includes Cdn Census & Trials)  No Responses »
Feb 252011
 

CONTENTS

  1. THOUSANDS PROTEST IN THE USA – WISCONSIN, GEORGIA, IDAHO, INDIANA, MONTANA, OHIO, TENNESSEE, WASHINGTON
  2. CEO SALARIES IN CANADA 

= = = = == = = = = = = = = = = = = 

1.   THOUSANDS PROTEST IN THE USA – WISCONSIN, GEORGIA, IDAHO, INDIANA, MONTANA, OHIO, TENNESSEE, WASHINGTON 

QUESTION:  Is this being reported in the mainstream news?  I don’t watch enough of it to know.   /Sandra 

Thanks to Janet: 

What would get Canadians off our butts…………eh??  

Price of gas or a case of beer going up?

Anything else???? 

Shame on us…… 

Begin forwarded message: 

Date: February 25, 2011 9:54:36 AM GMT-05:00 

Subject: FW: Most people don’t know it yet, but we may be experiencing the Lexington and Concord of the second American Revolution 

Main Street Movement Erupts as Thousands Across Country Protest War on the Middle Class

Thursday 24 February 2011 

by: Zaid Jilani   |  Think Progress | Report


In support of workers in Wisconsin, hundreds of middle-class workers from the DC area gather for a solidarity rally outside the offices of Gov. Scott Walker on February 23, 2011. (Photo: David Sachs / SEIU)

Last week, 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats inspired the nation when they decided to flee the state rather than allow quorum for a vote on a bill that would have decimated the state’s public employee unions and dealt a crippling blow to the state’s hard-working teachers, sanitation employees, and other middle class union members. Since then, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites have taken to the streets in even greater number than before the walkout in support of the fleeing legislators and in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) anti-middle class agenda. 

Inspired by the events in Wisconsin, thousands of Americans all over the country are taking action to battle legislation that would attack their labor rights, defund their schools, threaten their health and safety, and decimate the American middle class. Here are just some of the places across the nation that are taking part in this new “Main Street Movement”to defend and rebuild the American middle class: 

– GEORGIA: Hundreds of workers demonstrated outside the Georgia capitol yesterday, declaring their solidarity with striking Wisconsin workers. Some demonstrators wore “cheesehead” hats, a clear reference to a cultural tradition in Wisconsin. 

– IDAHO: Hundreds of teachers marched against legislation that would layoff 770 teachers and leave schools severely understaffed. 

– INDIANA: In Indiana, House Democrats fled the state, preventing a vote on legislation that would enact “right-to-work” laws that would’ve crippled the right to organize. After the House Democrats took off, hundreds of workers and students marched into the capitol building and staged a massive sit-in, pledging not to leave until the radical legislation was withdrawn. Yesterday, Indiana’s Main Street Movement scored its first victory as Republican lawmakers withdrew the anti-union bill. Indiana Democrats are refusing to come back until right-wing legislators withdraw legislation to undermine the state’s public education system. 

– MONTANA: More than a thousand “conservationists, sportsmen, firefighters, teachers, correctional officers and others” descended on the Montana capitol to protest against “unprecedented GOP attacks on public services and education and laws that protect land, air, water and wildlife.” Students carried signs that read “Keep Us In School,” protesting crippling cuts to the state’s education system.

Let Truthout send our best stories to your inbox every day, for free. 

– OHIO: In Ohio, thousands of ordinary Americans who rely on the right to organize to earn good, middle class incomes are facing off with Wisconsin-style legislation backed by Gov. John Kasich (R). Nearly 10,000 protesters demonstrated in Columbus, Ohio, gaining the support of former Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH) and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). So many demonstrators showed up that the Ohio Highway Patrol was ordered to lock the doors of the state capitol to stop more demonstrators from getting into the building. 

– TENNESSEE: Hundreds of Tennesseans gathered to protest a bill that would completely strip Tennesee teachers of collective bargaining rights. “What you have right now is 300 or so of us, standing and asking the state legislature to focus on what the priorities are right now, instead of attacking working people,” said Mary Mancini, executive director of Tennessee Citizen Action. “If they listen to us, well then that’s great. … If not, I can see this thing growing.” 

– WASHINGTON: 2,000 demonstrators in Olympia, Washington, marched against the state’s proposed budget cuts that would harm students and middle class Washingtonians and in solidarity with workers in Wisconsin. “If Scott Walker succeeds in ending worker rights in Wisconsin, the birthplace of public servants’ liberty, it could happen here,” said Federation of State Employees President Carol Dotlich.

ThinkProgress has put together a video compilation highlighting protests by ordinary Americans all over the nation to defend the middle class from this unprecedented assault. Watch it:

Even larger demonstrations are planned this Saturday, as thousands more Main Street Americans plan to take to the streets to protest the ongoing assault against the middle class. Moveon.org is organizing protests at every single state capitol in the country, aiming to “Save the American Dream.” Meanwhile, US Uncut, an activist group inspired by United Kingdom’s UK Uncut, plans to protest against American tax dodgers, asking why the rich in the country have been able to get off easy on their taxes while low- and middle-income Americans continue to be asked to sacrifice. 

UPDATE To see what the war on the middle class that the Main Street Movement is battling looks like, see this chart of the income distribution from Mother Jones: 

UPDATE Dozens of parents protested yesterday outside Rep. Blake Farenthold’s (R-TX) local office, demanding that the congressman not support drastic cuts to the Head Start program. 

— – – – –  

All republished content that appears on Truthout has been obtained by permission or license. 

= = = = = = = = = = = =

2.            CEO SALARIES IN CANADA

Search results   (on the CCPA Monitor   www.policyalternatives.ca) 

NOTE:  The Feb 2011 issue of The Monitor has an updated article on CEO salaries.  I am getting error messages when I try to get back on the website – will try again later. 

Neo-Con Economics and Canadian Well-Being

$1.8 million in income to join) made extraordinary gains. CEO salaries and bonuses have skyrocketed. The average earnings of the top 100 CEOs (now $7.3 million) ballooned from 100 times the average … Mackenzie, Hugh: A Soft Landing: Recession and Canada’s 100 Highest Paid CEOs. (2010) (National …

The Monitor – October 27, 2010

Equality is the Core Value of Democracy

and the compensation of the top 100 CEOs went from an annual average of $3.5 million to $10.4 million — up 300%.  … of continental Europeans who took the lead at the last G-20 meeting to curb the outrageous salaries and bonuses …

The Monitor – February 22, 2010

March 2008: Corporate Power, Voter Powerlessness

The CEOs are so confident their influence will prevail politically that they no longer care if they’ve lost … to mass outsourcing and layoffs, $100-a-barrel oil, and a looming recession. They shrug off obscene CEO salaries, pay and tax inequities, even corporate scandals. A few of the worst business rogues—the Enron …

The Monitor – April 25, 2008

March 2004: The Most Destructive Epidemic

obscenely high CEO salaries and perks–even the business takeover of our political system. We nod our heads when the CEOs and their political, academic, and media propagandists tell us that all … it can function. It’s the same with corporations. Their CEOs are also programmed to maximize …

The Monitor – September 19, 2004

April 2006: Taxing Our Credulity

their bosses divert into profits, dividends, and big CEO salaries and perks don’t show up on the T-4 slips. …

The Monitor – May 10, 2006

Barbarism Lite

put on CEO salaries by President Obama. The architects of the modern democratic state knew very … policy of favouring regressive tax cuts over social spending. Canada’s top 100 CEOs, whose annual income …

The Monitor – June 18, 2009

November 2003: Corporate Crime Goes Unpunished

or “reckless.” Their high-salaried and well-dressed managers could surely never be held responsible, much less … be an exaggeration to say that Canada’s CEOs and investors are the “contract killers” of the more than 1,000 Canadian …

The Monitor – September 20, 2004

March 2007: A Special CCPA Report on Work, Wealth, and the Economy

As reported by the CCPA early in the New Year, the average annual pay of the 100 top CEOs in Canada in 2005 … that the average high-paid CEO this year received as much remuneration by 10:04 a.m. on New Year’s Day as one … salaries, bonuses and perks enjoyed by corporate executives, or to the multi-million-dollar “severance” …

The Monitor – March 30, 2007

2011-02-24 An action item aimed at the root of the problem: Monbiot: of interest to ALL of us (re: Internet highjacking)

 Corporatocracy or Democracy or Administrative State or WHAT?, Lockheed Martin, War Economy (includes Cdn Census & Trials)  No Responses »
Feb 242011
 

How COULD I send you a message without having done a related “action” item?!

George Monbiot asks a question at the end of this article, “what should we do to fight these tactics?”. 

ACTION: 

  1. I sent him an idea.  You’ll find it below, following his article.
  2. I changed the “subject” of this email to “Help Vermont State Legislature change the laws that define Corporation”.  And sent it to people in Vermont.

/Sandra

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Begin forwarded message:

From: George Monbiot

Date: February 24, 2011 2:21:00 AM GMT-05:00

Subject: Monbiot.com

   
Robot WarsPosted: 23 Feb 2011 04:47 AM PSTOnline astroturfing is more advanced and more automated than we’d imagined.

By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 23rd February 2011

Every month more evidence piles up, suggesting that online comment threads and forums are being hijacked by people who aren’t what they seem to be. The anonymity of the web gives companies and governments golden opportunities to run astroturf operations: fake grassroots campaigns, which create the impression that large numbers of people are demanding or opposing particular policies. This deception is most likely to occur where the interests of companies or governments come into conflict with the interests of the public. For example, there’s a long history of tobacco companies creating astroturf groups to fight attempts to regulate them.

After I last wrote about online astroturfing, in December, I was contacted by a whistleblower. He was part of a commercial team employed to infest internet forums and comment threads on behalf of corporate clients, promoting their causes and arguing with anyone who opposed them. Like the other members of the team, he posed as a disinterested member of the public. Or, to be more accurate, as a crowd of disinterested members of the public: he used 70 personas, both to avoid detection and to create the impression that there was widespread support for his pro-corporate arguments. I’ll reveal more about what he told me when I’ve finished the investigation I’m working on.

But it now seems that these operations are more widespread, more sophisticated and more automated than most of us had guessed. Emails obtained by political hackers from a US cyber-security firm called HB Gary Federal suggest that a remarkable technological armoury is being deployed to drown out the voices of real people.

As the Daily Kos has reported, the emails show that:

– companies now use “persona management software”, which multiplies the efforts of the astroturfers working for them, creating the impression that there’s major support for what a corporation or government is trying to do.

– this software creates all the online furniture a real person would possess: a name, email accounts, web pages and social media. In other words, it automatically generates what look like authentic profiles, making it hard to tell the difference between a virtual robot and a real commentator.

– fake accounts can be kept updated by automatically re-posting or linking to content generated elsewhere, reinforcing the impression that the account holders are real and active.

– human astroturfers can then be assigned these “pre-aged” accounts to create a back story, suggesting that they’ve been busy linking and re-tweeting for months. No one would suspect that they came onto the scene for the first time a moment ago, for the sole purpose of attacking an article on climate science or arguing against new controls on salt in junk food.

– with some clever use of social media, astroturfers can, in the security firm’s words, “make it appear as if a persona was actually at a conference and introduce himself/herself to key individuals as part of the exercise … There are a variety of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to all fictitious personas”

But perhaps the most disturbing revelation is this. The US Air Force has been tendering for companies to supply it with persona management software, which will perform the following tasks:

a. Create “10 personas per user, replete with background, history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographically consistent. … Personas must be able to appear to originate in nearly any part of the world and can interact through conventional online services and social media platforms.”

b. Automatically provide its astroturfers with “randomly selected IP addresses through which they can access the internet.” [An IP address is the number which identifies someone’s computer]. These are to be changed every day, “hiding the existence of the operation.” The software should also mix up the astroturfers’ web traffic with “traffic from multitudes of users from outside the organization. This traffic blending provides excellent cover and powerful deniability.”

c. Create “static IP addresses” for each persona, enabling different astroturfers “to look like the same person over time.” It should also allow “organizations that frequent same site/service often to easily switch IP addresses to look like ordinary users as opposed to one organization.”

Software like this has the potential to destroy the internet as a forum for constructive debate. It makes a mockery of online democracy. Comment threads on issues with major commercial implications are already being wrecked by what look like armies of organised trolls – as you can often see on the Guardian’s sites. The internet is a wonderful gift, but it’s also a bonanza for corporate lobbyists, viral marketers and government spin doctors, who can operate in cyberspace without regulation, accountability or fear of detection. So let me repeat the question I’ve put in previous articles, and which has yet to be satisfactorily answered: what should we do to fight these tactics?

www.monbiot.com

COMMENT I SENT TO GEORGE MONBIOT: 

The root of the problem is “the corporation”.  We should get on board with people in the US (I’m from Canada) who are fighting to change the legal definition of “the corporation”.  The state of Vermont legislators have an amazing resolution underway. See  2011-01-22 (www.sandrafinley.ca – archives).  “Vermont politicians are moving to deny corporations the rights that humans enjoy…”  We should all work with people in Vermont to get this into being. “Public Citizen” is another group that is fighting for same change.  Further, Lockheed Martin Corp is often behind “the nasties”.  You should encourage people to boycott your census – non-violent resistance to get LM out of the UK census.  Take LM out of its “surveillance” initiatives.  If you have any doubts about the necessity: www.sandrafinley.ca, see “Lockheed” on the drop-down list under “Pages”.  Have fun.  Many thanks for your great work!  And best wishes.   Sandra

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –  —

REPLY RECEIVED      3/1/2011

Dear Sandra, 

Many thanks for this, 

All good wishes, George

 Older Entries  Newer Entries