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Today's topics: * MMR Vaccine & Autism: Is Whistleblower Dr Wakefield Right? - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/1ed463c4d876286e * National Meeting Agenda, June 20, 2006! - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/328b1f273a0942b4 * MMR Vaccine & Autism: Is Dr Wakefield right? - Response of Dr King. - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/d231696e41c29bd0 * Heavy metals in vaccines: The Indian Scenario - Health Ministry aware of risk. - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/4ba93972c1d1e03d * Participatory Learning & Action, PLA in construction of community utility buildings - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/21ed2b39b56e8347 * Withdraw GM Seeds Immediately, Warn Indian Genetic Engineers. - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/709452f2a284def0 * <ayurvedaonline> Vaccines: Do we really need them? - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/7465819f6d506acc ============================================================================== TOPIC: MMR Vaccine & Autism: Is Whistleblower Dr Wakefield Right? http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/1ed463c4d876286e ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Jun 20 2006 12:14 am From: Jagannath Chatterjee ========================================================================================== http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20060612-023341-6204r.htm The Washington Post June 13, 2006, 16:22 GMT The Age of Autism: But is Wakefield right? By Dan Olmsted, Senior Editor, UPI. (Courtesy www.nvic.org ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'There are very powerful people in positions of great authority in Britain and elsewhere who have staked their reputations and careers on the safety of MMR and they are willing to do almost anything to protect themselves,' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the British gastroenterologist who first raised the prospect of a link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism, is being pursued by British medical authorities. According to the BBC: 'The Independent newspaper reports that the General Medical Council will accuse Mr. Andrew Wakefield of carrying out `inadequately founded` research. Vaccination rates fell sharply after Dr Wakefield questioned the safety of MMR, raising fears of a measles epidemic.His initial Lancet paper has since been disowned by the journal.' Let`s put aside the issues surrounding the Lancet paper and concerns about a measles epidemic and go straight to the heart of the matter: Does the MMR cause autism? In other words, is Wakefield right? After looking into the topic for more than a year, I`m very concerned that he may be -- that, especially in children whose immune systems have been rendered susceptible by any number of possible exposures, the combined live-virus vaccine has its fingerprints all over numerous cases of regressive autism. Until researching the seven-part Age of Autism series in Olympia, Wash., that concluded last month, I would not have said that. But when you encounter case after case of perfectly normal children regressing after live-virus vaccinations -- in this case, the MMR in close proximity to the chickenpox shot -- you have to keep your options open. The families in Olympia noticed a common thread: They had unusual histories of chickenpox and other herpesviruses in their families; their child got the chickenpox and MMR shots in close temporal proximity, often at the same 12-month office visit when both are first recommended; and the child subsequently was diagnosed with regressive autism. Despite the sweeping assurances that there`s no link between the MMR and autism, no one seems to have looked at whether such a family history of susceptibility to viruses used in vaccines might raise a risk factor. Call me hypervigilant, but I would have expected that to be rigorously reviewed a long time ago. Two of the Olympia children, in fact, were in small trials at age 12 months of chickenpox and MMR vaccines. One of the vaccines, called ProQuad, combines the MMR and chickenpox, kicking in 10 times the standard amount of chickenpox vaccine to overcome the 'immune interference' that can occur when live viruses interact. Such interference is at the heart of Wakefield`s concern about the combined MMR vaccine -- that the viruses suppress the immune system in such a way that weakened-but-live measles viruses can set up house and trigger a delayed neurological infection: autism. And measles is not benign -- that`s why there`s such a push to vaccinate against it. In a small percentage of cases, the wild, or naturally occurring, infection can lead to delayed brain damage and death. It`s a neurotoxic virus, in short. Wakefield`s question and concern is whether in some cases the live-virus vaccine is neurotoxic, too. Not such a wild idea, really, and listening to him talk makes you hope to God the vaccine manufacturers and regulators are a lot smarter than he makes them sound: 'What alarms me about the cavalier approach of the industry and everybody else, the regulators, to these viruses is they presume the wild infection to be nasty and the vaccines to be innocuous -- that they can manipulate something that is biologically highly intelligent and exploit it to their advantage. 'And they can`t. The viruses don`t behave like that and they never will. They merely come back to haunt you as something different.' Multiple epidemiological studies have allegedly ruled out this chilling scenario as a factor in autism -- the Institute of Medicine calls it 'theoretical only.' But epidemiology is only as good as its data and its practitioners, and well-known for its potential pitfalls and flaws. What concerns me is, if the epidemiology is wrong, preventable cases of autism are going to keep happening till the cows come home. Recall, also, that Wakefield never suggested banning the measles, mumps or rubella immunizations. He suggested separating them and giving them a year apart. Especially concerning are the stories that parent after parent tells about physical illness after the shots, followed by autistic regression. It`s kind of freaky, really, the way they keep popping up. After finishing the Pox series, I attended the Autism One convention in Chicago and happened to be interviewed by a Web-based documentary filmmaker. During a break, I asked how he got involved. He told me his daughter got the MMR, came down immediately with a 103-degree fever and regressed forthwith into autism. 'It`s like someone took out her good brain and replaced it with a bad brain,' he said. It was that immediate. I had another conversation with the mother of fraternal twins who told me this story: Both sons were scheduled to get two shots -- the MMR and another vaccination -- on the same day at the same office visit. But -- oops -- the healthcare worker gave the first child two MMR shots, not the MMR and the second vaccine. That child soon developed autism; the second one didn`t. And I spoke recently with a Texas man whose son got the MMR in 1993; the injection site swelled up to the size of his father`s fist; he had seizures at the dinner table that night, and within days was spinning, flapping, chewing wood and not talking ever again. You get the picture. 'Anecdotal evidence.' But you have to wonder how many of these stories -- one is tempted to say, bodies -- must pile up before the medical authorities go back and take a fresh look at the issue. This blithe disregard for case histories -- for what parents, the supposed bedrock of our 'family-friendly' society, say -- is one of the most appalling features of the current climate surrounding autism research. In fact, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., has talked publicly of forcing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which sets the childhood immunization schedule and stoutly rejects a link with autism, to actually go out and interview some of these parents. One person who is making things awkward for the authorities is Dr. Peter Fletcher, another British ne`er-do-well -- or, to use his official title, the former chief scientific officer at Britain`s Department of Health. As I noted in a column earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported: 'A former British government medical officer responsible for deciding whether medicines are safe has accused the government of `utterly inexplicable complacency` over the MMR triple vaccine for children.' The official, Dr. Peter Fletcher, became an expert witness for parents` lawyers, which of course creates a competing interest that needs to be factored in. But Fletcher said his new role gave him access to documents that deeply concerned him. 'There are very powerful people in positions of great authority in Britain and elsewhere who have staked their reputations and careers on the safety of MMR and they are willing to do almost anything to protect themselves,' he said. Gosh, this is starting to get interesting, and not just for Andrew Wakefield. -- E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ============================================= "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo. --------------------------------- Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. ============================================================================== TOPIC: National Meeting Agenda, June 20, 2006! http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/328b1f273a0942b4 ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Jun 20 2006 4:36 am From: "Moderator BharatUdayMission" ============================================================================== TOPIC: MMR Vaccine & Autism: Is Dr Wakefield right? - Response of Dr King. http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/d231696e41c29bd0 ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Jun 20 2006 7:20 am From: Jagannath Chatterjee Jagannath Chatterjee, If you look at the harm to the immune system precipitated by Thimerosal- preserved vaccines (that has been clearly elucidated in some recent papers) given before, or at the same time as the MMR and/or chickenpox vaccines, it seems obvious that natal and post-natal exposures to Thimerosal at levels down to below 0.03 ppm and/or to INORGANIC mercury at similar levels are known factors in poisoning their developing immune systems. The recent reported cases where fetal abortion occurs shortly after the mother received a Thimerosal-preserved "flu" shot clearly shows that the dangers of vaccinating a pregnant woman with a vaccine containing an unnecessary human TERATOGEN that the "healthcare estab-lishment" clearly knows and the papers that have clearly established that the current human "flu" vaccines are NOT effective in preventing the spread of the flu, clearly show that the worldwide "healthcare establishment" seems to be engaged in practices that fatten their financial interests by knowingly harm-ing the most vulnerable, the unborn and our children. As Dr. Wakefield hypothesized, IN SUSCEPTIBLE CHLIDREN, the live measles virus in the MMR shot is "mishandled" by the immune system and causes death, or, for those who survive death, seizures, encephalopathies, and other central nervous system and gut damage, which may lead to a diagnosis of "regressive autism" with "gut dysfunc-tion." Hopefully, you may see that, except for a small percentage of the "autism" diagnoses that are clearly genetic (in the sense that these cases have identifiable gene abnormalities (usually on chromosome 2, or Fragile X or Rhett's), MOST (>75%) seem to have underlying mercury poisoning that, coupled with the cases' diet, disease and medicinal exposures, leads to a diagno-sis of "regressive autism" or other "autism spectrum disorder," which, once identified, can, to some extent, be mitigated by appro-priate corrective interventions (dietary,supplemental, and medicinal). In the area of allopathic medicine, the most effective "curative" treatment, at present, seems to be the use of Lupron to reduce the excess testosterone level mercury poisoning causes into the normal range for a given sex and age (because high testosterone levels seem to interfere with the chelation process and to keep the patient in an overly excited state), daily chelation with oral DMSA to remove the mercury and other heavy metals that are poisoning the individual, and a daily oral "complete" multivitamin/multi-mineral dose to replace the "good" metals chelated out as well as to ensure the child gets the proper levels of vitamins needed for health. [Note: ABNORMALLY high testosterone levels also seem to shut down bile production (an underlying factor in many "gut" problems).] When properly implemented, the preceding protocol seems to help all those who, by complete differ-ential diagnosis, have been proven to have been mercury poisoned -- whether it be by: a) a genetic predisposition to NOT excrete heavy metals as efficiently as "normal" children (true for about 1 in 5-7 children), or b) overwhelming mercury exposure from continuing exposure from mercury from their mothers' amalgam fillings and/or multiple injections of Thimerosal- preserved sera (the Rho products) and Thimerosal- preserved vaccines, or c) medical treatments (like antibiotics) that block the body's ability to excrete the mercury (usually from vaccines) to which they are exposed while being so medically treated, or d) diets severely deficient in the biological precursor biochemical compounds (e.g., cysteine, the B vita- mins, and vitamin C) needed to produce the biochem- icals used by the human body to intercept, bind, and detoxify the body from the dietary and environmental mercury to which they are/were being exposed. On the "nutritional"/"dietary" medicine front, diets that remove milk and glutens improve the "gut" problems associated "autism" and "dietary supplements" (like alpha-lipoic acid, algal products, N-acetylcysteine) have been reported to be mitigatory and curative. Realistically, medicine needs to learn to work with nature in all areas rather than to continually ignorenature. In this vein, a) the emphasis should be on making sure that pregnant women have proper nutrition, b) all deliveries should, whenever possible, be natural (with the mother "squatting" or otherwise using gravity to aid delivery & the baby left below the placental level until after the cord is cut, d) the umbilical cord should NOT be cut UNTIL it collapses to ensure that the neonate's body gets as much of the placental blood and circulating maternal immune factors as possible, e) mothers should be encouraged to nurse immediately (to give their babies the high-protein, anti-body-rich "colostrum" [produced for the first few days by the breast] needed to prime and protect the intestinal digestive, detox, and immunity systems), f) mothers should be encouraged to nurse for as long as possible (preferable 2+ years) to continue to provide maternal immunity factors while the child's immunity systems are maturing, and solids and "adult" foods should not be introduced into the baby's diets until the child begins to "cut" teeth, g) all NECESSARY vaccinations should be postponed until after the child stops nursing or the child reaches at least 2 years of age (whichever is later), and h) vaccines for diseases that are benign in children (e.g., chickenpox and mumps) or rare in children (e.g., hepatitis B) should be: i) optional and NOT a part of any UNIVERSAL vaccination program, ii) postponed until the child is a pre-teen, and iii) ONLY given to those who, after testing, have no evidence of exposure to these diseases. Were the preceding practices to be followed, then, except for the vaccine makers and thosepaid to promote or deliver vaccinations, the emerging problems with the current "universal vaccine programs" would be stopped. Hopefully, you can help your nation awaken to the preceding realities as the US has been so propagandized that most of the preceding truths have been co-opted by greed-driven "modern" medical practices that are at odds with nature. As you know, historically clean air, clean water, enough food and basic sanitation have done more to limit the incidence of all diseases than any vaccine that has been developed, including the vaccine for smallpox, whose propensity to cause harm was realized in the United States when the use of a "new, improved" smallpox vaccine was supposed to be given to 500,000 first responders, but "was stopped" after vaccination of 38,000+ had KILLED 3 and seriously harmed the health of hundreds of others -- producing death and harm at 100-times the vaccine maker's and the government's touted/"predicted" rates for "adverse events." After all, who wouldn't want a vaccine that had: a) ONLY a 1 in 10,000 risk of killing them and b) A "1 in 100-250" risk of causing them serious long-term health harm to provide them less than 100% protection from a disease, smallpox, that has been claimed to have been eradicated but, because "research stocks" were preserved and disseminated, have allowed "rogue" nations to develop "weaponized" mutated-smallpox-virus delivery systems (so- called "bioweapons") with which to threaten the world! Hopefully, along with the articles posted on:http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org/docs/, thisinformation will be helpful to you in your efforts in India and elsewhere. *************************************** * These comments are being provided * * ONLY for information and NOT as * * medical advice or to recommend any * * particular course of action to any * * person. * *************************************** Respectfully, Dr. Paul G King http://www.dr-king.com "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo. --------------------------------- Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. ============================================================================== TOPIC: Heavy metals in vaccines: The Indian Scenario - Health Ministry aware of risk. http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/4ba93972c1d1e03d ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Jun 20 2006 8:39 am From: Jagannath Chatterjee VOL 14 ,NO 22 Wednesday, April 05, 2006 Heavy metal in vaccines. Intro:Vaccines with mercury can cause autism, but removing the metal is uneconomical for developing countries such as India http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20060415&filename=anal&sid=1&page=1&sec_id=7 [As per a recent study conducted by a research institute in Kerala, there are 1.7 million autistic persons in India. US rejected mercury laced vaccines were pushed into India during the Clinton regime despite a ban in the US.] In the 1980s, worried parents and medical researchers in the us alleged that mercury in vaccines was responsible for the growing number of autism cases among children in the country. The issue was debated in medical circles, wheels moved in many western countries, but developing countries still dont have a choice because without mercury, vaccination is expensive. There was pressure on the us government for legislation against mercury in vaccines. At the same time, a combative vaccine industry brandished studies vouching the safety of mercury in vaccines. Nonetheless, the us states of Iowa and California passed legislations in favour of mercury-free vaccines. The uproar was not restricted to the us: the Danish parliament, in 1992, banned the heavy metal from vaccines. The uk has recently passed a similar legislation. At the root of the problem is thimerosal: this preservative with a 50 per cent mercury constituent is a key ingredient of multi-dose vaccines. These vials are about 10 times cheaper than single-dose vials, making it easier for international agencies to procure vaccines for programmes in developing countries including India. In 2000, for instance, about 80 per cent of vaccines administered globally were supplied in multi-dose vials. But these vials require preservatives because they are used over longer periods. Thimerosal fits this requirement. So, its not surprising that international bodies such as the World Health Organization (who) and unicef recommend this preservative. Even those vaccine manufacturers based in developed countries who make mercury-free vaccines for domestic consumption use this heavy metal in their products for developing countries. What are the implications? Most vaccines used for the countrys universal immunisation programme (uip) have a thimerosal content of 25 µg per five millilitres. Half of that, 12.5 µg, is mercury. A six-week old infant in many parts of the country is administered two vaccines, dpt ( diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus ) and Hepatitis b. T his exposes the child to 25 µg of mercury. Infants getting vaccinated at a private clinic are also administered the haemophilus influenza type b vaccine, as per the Indian Academy of Paediatricians protocol. This results in a total exposure of 37.5 µg. According to the us Environment Protection Agency, the human body can, in a day, safely tolerate 0.1 µg of mercury for every kg of its body weight. So, an average six-week infant, weighing 7 kg, can tolerate an exposure of 0.7 µg of mercury. The child is exposed to mercury levels much higher than this recommended amount on innoculation day. The risk of mercury is even higher for the undernourished and underweight Indian children. At a who meet of the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety in 2003, it was pointed out that little is known of susceptibility to thimerosal in infants who weigh less than 2.5 kg. Moreover, children are less equipped to handle the toxic load because they do not produce sufficient levels of bile, needed to remove mercury from the body. However, many experts contend that ethyl mercury used in vaccines is not as toxic as methyl mercury, commonly blamed for maladies such as the Minamata disease. But there are others who dispute this argument. Dubious methods Thimerosal was developed in the 1930s by the us- based vaccine major, El Lilly and Company. For years the company has manipulated studies to demonstrate the safety of this mercury-based preservative. In fact, when thimerosal was introduced, the company did have it tested, but only on 22 patients with terminal meningitis. And quite conveniently meningitis was blamed for the death of all those injected with the preservative. More recently, Eli Lilly used the us governments paranoia against bio-terrorism to its advantage. Along with other vaccine companies, it persuaded the us government to introduce a clause in the Homeland Security Act brought in response to the 9/11 attacks stipulating that these companies can be challenged only in vaccine courts, and not in civil courts. Anxious to ensure vaccine supplies against any anthrax or smallpox attacks, the us government complied. The clause substantially reduces Eli Lillys and other vaccines companies liability if it were to lose a thimerosal-related litigation. In such an event, the company would have to pay us $5 billion in damages, six times less than what it would be liable for if the case was fought in a civil court. Thimerosal has other supporters as well in the us. In 2004, the us health authority, Institute of Medicine (iom), came out with a report, which claimed to have used epidemiological studies from around the world, to suggest that there were no links between the preservative and autism. But as journalist David Kirby notes in Evidence of Harm a compelling study on the politics of mercury in vaccines many experts who had exonerated thimerosal had received research grants and even donations from vaccine manufacturers. Mounting evidence While many us experts gave a clean chit to thimerosal, cases of autism increased in the country. In the early 1980s, only one among 10,000 children in the us was autistic. By the late 1990s, one in 500 children had the disease; currently there is one autistic child per 166 newborns in the us. Experts who incriminate thimerosal for this rise point out that mercury in vaccines more than doubled between 1988 and 1992. They also cite the contrasting example of Denmark, where autism afflicts one in 13,000 children the country banned thimerosal in vaccines in 1992. In another study, David Geier and Mark Geier of MedCon, Inc a us- based private research laboratory evaluated neurodevelopment disorders reported to the countrys Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. They categorised the data into groups of those who had been administered dpt vaccines with thimerosal and those who received thimerosal-free vaccines between 1997 and 2001. The former demonstrated a significantly higher incidence of autism, speech disorder, mental retardation, personality disorders and thinking abnormalities. The evidence against mercury has not always been epidemiological. For example, a study by Mary Hornig of the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, published in Molecular Psychiatry in June 2004, just months after the iom report, showed that thimerosal caused autism-like damage in genetically-susceptible mice. Another study by Boyd Haley of the University of Kentucky, usa, showed that mercury reduced an essential protein in nerve cells, tubulin. The protein is important for the growth of neurons and its depletion has been linked to the Alzheimers disease. Thimerosal has also been implicated in other nerve disorders. For instance in 2003, David Baskin of the department of neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine demonstrated that this preservative can cause membrane and dna damage, and kill nerve cells, even when administered in small amounts. Difficult decision The debate has some positive fallout in the us. W ith legislation to remove mercury from vaccines, the levels of the heavy metal in vaccines administered to infants in their first six-months has currently come down to 3 µg from 187.5 µg in the 1980s. Experts are waiting to see if this intervention reduces the incidence of autism. The debate can, however, compound the vaccine-related predicaments of developing countries like India, especially with the increasing awareness on the link between mercury and autism. A senior-Delhi-based paediatrician sums this apprehension quite aptly: The fear of mercury in vaccines might deter people from innoculating their children. But what about alternatives to thimerosal? We do have alternative preservatives like 2-phenoxyethanol. Drug manufacturers around the world are also considering the use of other preservatives like benzalkonium chloride and benzethonium chloride. But says Varaprasad Reddy, ceo of Shantha Biotechnics, a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, We have manufactured vaccines withot thimerosal. Its not difficult to produce them. But the WHO does not permit us to supply such vaccines to the unicef . Besides, the use of these alternatives would require a complete change in the licensing regime. For, Indian Pharmacoepia a document that contains guidelines on drug constituents makes it mandatory for vaccines to have mercury. Thats not all. Extensive safety data would be needed for licensing. In fact, in the us, 2-phenoxyethanol is used in dpt vaccines manufactured by Aventis Pasteur. But a study dating back to 2000 indicates that this preservative also has neurotoxic properties. Occupational exposure to this chemical for more than a year can lead to cognitive impairments. Vial tinkering There are some other alternatives as well For example, the U niject device developed by the international ngo path, obviates the need for preservative-dependant multi-dose vials. But many experts are not too sure if the device could be a viable alternative. The device is costlier than even conventional single-dose vaccines, says Reddy. The latter costs about Rs 25 per vial, while the new device costs as much as Rs 34. Apathy and concern There is another problem far graver than costs of alternative preservatives. Many experts do not see the need to shift over to mercury-free vaccines. One of them Suresh Jadhav, executive director, Serum Institute of India Ltd, Pune, asserts, There is no proof of the harm done by vaccines, only perceptions. Using mercury-free, single-dose vaccines is also not feasible as multi-dose vaccines are far cheaper, he adds. Indian Pharmacoepia is quite categorical that even single-dose vaccines contain thimerosal. Reddy agrees that this anomaly should be corrected, but is not sure that this would make much difference considering the expenses involved in manufacturing single-dose vaccines. There are other problems. Its not incumbent on vaccine manufacturers to put down information about the presence of thimerosal in the literature that accompanies the vaccine vials. So, some of the vaccines produced in the country such as those produced by, gsk Bharat Biotech do not mention the presence of preservative. This lack makes it difficult for parents to take the kind of action taken by their counterparts in the us. The Union minister of health and family welfare is not totally impervious to such problems. The national technical advisory group on immunisation, a body of this ministry, is supposed to convene a meeting soon to assess the safety data related to vaccines. If needed, the group will put an alternative vaccination strategy in place. But this meeting is long overdue. There should be policy changes. But these should be implemented quickly without creating a scare, suggests a senior paediatrician. Other experts assert that the government should quickly develop a low cost, effective preservative that is safer than thimerosal. Exposure to mercury in any case is quite high in India. An autistic person needs treatment for life and the cost is very high. Its time corrective measures are taken. --------------------------------- http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20060415&filename=anal&sid=1&page=1&sec_id=7 --------------------------------- Back document.form1.submit(); "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo. --------------------------------- Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. ============================================================================== TOPIC: Participatory Learning & Action, PLA in construction of community utility buildings http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/21ed2b39b56e8347 ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Jun 20 2006 7:50 pm From: purushothaman pillai Dear Friends, I am happy to intimate that I am now involved in a PLA process in constructing a building, in a village through PLA process/method. We are only in the initial phase, but have made good progress. This we are doing under UNDP-GRI(Gandgigram Rural Institute) partnership. Why I am wrting this to you is the high propspect in delivering most of the engineering and management services through this route. And, if some of the memebrs are interested, I can arrange for a meeting with the VC of GRI for us to explore further. Or, those who are interested can also directly contact VC of GRI, only I have not yet mentioned this to him ( of such an opportunity of BUM volunteers interest, if comes out) I shall also mention one particular point that when I met Mr Udhayamurthy of 'Unnnal Mudium Thambi', it was surprising to me that he told me to first earn and protect the family and come for social-service later... then I wanted to start & involve in social service and clean politics within few years of my married life ( ofcourse without dowery or financial support from in-laws who hail from middle class). The point, I am driving is, 'why not earn while in social service in decent ways and also do social service as applied to engineering and management. I find lots of such opportunity to many of BUM volunteers through PLA. I am also marking a copy to VC of GRI, in fact many of you might have known him that he was also from IIT. with warm regards, PP --------------------------------- Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. ============================================================================== TOPIC: Withdraw GM Seeds Immediately, Warn Indian Genetic Engineers. http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/709452f2a284def0 ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Jun 20 2006 11:36 pm From: Jagannath Chatterjee GM WATCH daily http://www.gmwatch.org --- The cover stories from India's national magazine 'Frontline': 1.Seeds and protests 2.Biotech brinjal EXCERPT: Top biotech scientists are also critical of the manner in which the GM tests are being conducted. "It is an absolute scandal for us to allow further trials despite the failure of Bt cotton. The seed should be withdrawn immediately, just like faulty drugs are removed from the market. We are being taken for a ride by the MNC [multinational company]-government nexus. These committees don't even have specialised scientists. They exist only to promote the interests of powerful companies, not of the country..." said Dr. Pushpa Bhargava, founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, a world-renowned pioneer of genetic engineering in India. --- FRONTLINE, Volume 23 - Issue 12: Jun. 17-30, 2006 INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE from the publishers of THE HINDU COVER STORY: Seeds and protests VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN in New Delhi http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20060630004102200.htm EXCERPTS: The UPA government's decision to allow field trials in GM food crops may have human and economic costs. [image caption: HARVESTING COTTON IN Coimbatore. Bt Cotton seeds released by multinational companies this year failed to give increased yields. In Andhra Pradesh, a large number of cattle and sheep reportedly died after eating Bt Cotton stalks and leaves.] According to the CFGMFI, these decisions have far-reaching implications for agriculture and health . This is especially so giventhe contentious results that experiments with Bt cotton have produced in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The CFGMFI leadership pointed out that negative consequences were all the more likely because the GEAC had said that the Bt gene being used for the brinjal trials was the same as the one used in Bt cotton. .... reports from the States in which Bt cotton was introduced have indicated that the tests against effects on human health were not as foolproof as claimed by the company. Most farmers and farm workers in different States have experienced longstanding allergies of different kinds. More recently, reports from Andhra Pradesh indicated a rise in sheep mortality after grazing on Bt cotton. According to the CFGMFI, some scientific investigations have even pointed to a clear correlation between exposure to Bt Cotton and the adverse health conditions seen among farmers. The CFGMFI asserts that studies have established that the Bt gene is a known toxin that affects human and livestock health adversely. A note submitted by the organisation to Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramdoss states: "Published, peer-reviewed papers by scientists demonstrate that recombinant Cry1Ac protoxin in the Bt gene is a powerful immunogen and when fed to mice, induced antibody responses similar to those obtained with the cholera toxin. Research shows that Cry1Ac actively binds to the inner surface of the mouse's small intestine. This contests the often-heard argument that Cry proteins do not affect mammals since they supposedly do not have receptors that bind the truncated toxin in the gut." Given these results, the CFGMFI points out, the consequences of trials with a food crop, indeed a vegetable crop that will be consumed directly, are unimaginable. The coalition argues that that introduction of the Bt gene in the food crop sector has the potential consequence of genetic manipulation. However, the position of the Ministry of Environment, as expressed by GEAC, is that the bio-safety package has been completed for brinjal and there are no reasons to stop large-scale field trials. Apart from health concerns, the commercial dimensions of the exercise are also being questioned. There is a widespread perception, shared even by some State Agriculture Ministers belonging to the Congress, that the manner in which GM seeds are promoted is beneficial only to private companies, particularly big multinational corporations like Monsanto. Even as such calls go out, the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Ministry has opened up new areas for Monsanto. The Left parties referred to this trend in a note submitted at the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting on June 15. The note pointed out that "the Seeds Bill piloted by the Ministry of Agriculture seeks to subvert the seed rights of farmers and facilitate monopolisation of the seed business in the hands of the multinational seed companies. The Indo-U.S. Knowledge Initiative on Agricultural Research and Education ... has not only empowered Wal-Mart and Monsanto to dictate the agenda of agricultural research in India but also ensured that such research will be largely funded by the U.S.-based multinationals and therefore tied to the stringent intellectual property regime of the U.S." 2.Biotech brinjal FRONTLINE Volume 23 - Issue 12: Jun. 17-30, 2006 INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE from the publishers of THE HINDU http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20060630004902400.htm EXCERPTS: At a time when the safety of Bt cotton is highly suspect, the government's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) is considering clearance of large-scale field trials of Bt Brinjal. It is the first time that GM Brinjal is being released for an advanced stage of field trials in open conditions anywhere in the world. It is also the closest India has got to sanctioning GM food crops. If cleared, it will be the first time that the GEAC allows large-scale field trials for GM food crops. Such field trials could lead to the uncontrolled release of genetically modified organisms into the environment, which could contaminate normal varieties of the crop. Japan and several European countries have banned cultivation of GM food crops. But India is allowing it entry without taking adequate precautions. Several environmental groups and farmers' associations have appealed against the trials. But the GEAC is dismissive. "We would like some concrete objections based on the data placed before us by Mahyco, not general, emotional arguments," B.S. Parsheera, Chairperson of the GEAC, told Frontline. However, environmentalists opposing the trials say that the data are too sketchy to provide scientific feedback. "This shows how the GEAC takes decisions that affect the health of millions - based on meaningless presentations by companies," said Kavitha Kuruganti from the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture. Top biotech scientists are also critical of the manner in which the GM tests are being conducted. "It is an absolute scandal for us to allow further trials despite the failure of Bt cotton. The seed should be withdrawn immediately, just like faulty drugs are removed from the market. We are being taken for a ride by the MNC [multinational company]-government nexus. These committees don't even have specialised scientists. They exist only to promote the interests of powerful companies, not of the country. And these MNCs, such as Monsanto which is promoting Bt seeds in India, have a notorious record all over the world," said Dr. Pushpa Bhargava, founder of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, a world-renowned pioneer of genetic engineering in India. "No country in the world has a satisfactory system of assessing the risks associated with the release of GM plants into the environment. What has happened in this extremely lax environment all over the world is extremely disturbing, " Bhargava explained. "It is shocking that no tests were done to monitor the effects on cattle or sheep if they ate the leaves of the Bt cotton plant, even though in India crop plants are often fed to cattle as fodder. That is why so many animals died in Andhra Pradesh. The main problem is that there is a conflict of interest in using the tests and data provided by the company." The effects on human health are numerous and often unknown. A recent study in Madhya Pradesh found that farm workers exposed to Bt cotton had allergies including skin eruptions and swollen faces. The Cry1Ac gene is a powerful immunogen and can prompt adverse reactions from the immune system. If humans eat Bt brinjal it is possible that the Bt toxin can enter the human digestive system and interfere with the bacteria in the intestines. There are severe limitations to current allergy testing procedures for genetically modified organisms. Many GM crops such as beans and Starlink corn were found to produce allergies after they were sold in the market. The NptII gene used as a marker in Bt brinjal can affect antibiotic resistance. The cauliflower mosaic virus, a viral promoter used in Bt brinjal, is similar to the hepatitis B virus, and could reactivate dormant viruses. Studies worldwide have shown that eating GM food can result in wasteful growth of gut tissues and bacterial proliferation, intestinal tumours, immune system suppression and interference with the development of the body's vital organs. Genetically modified plants can harm the environment and biodiversity. Once out in the fields, there is no way of knowing whether normal plant varieties have been contaminated by the GM variety through pollination, which could lead to the extinction of local crop varieties. This is the reason for the `buffer zone' that most GM crops have rarely followed in India where land is scarce. Moreover, the Cry1Ac gene affects butterflies and moths and alters soil microbiology. Farmers using Bt cotton in India report decline in soil productivity. However, Mahyco said that its tests had ruled out the possibility of any such adverse impact on the environment. "It is absurd to say that GM crops will bring us food security. Is there no food security in E.U. countries that have banned GM?" asked Bhargava. "It may kill biodiversity. Several organic methods of cultivation have proved far more effective," he said. The government is racing headlong into the genetic engineering maze, though agricultural studies are showing that natural processes are more effective. In just four years of GM technology, we have seen many disastrous results. Will no one listen as nature strikes back? DIONNE BUNSHA "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo. --------------------------------- How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messengers low PC-to-Phone call rates. ============================================================================== TOPIC: <ayurvedaonline> Vaccines: Do we really need them? http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/browse_thread/thread/7465819f6d506acc ============================================================================== == 1 of 1 == Date: Sat, Jun 17 2006 3:51 am From: Jagannath Chatterjee From: Patrick Quanten, MD. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006. http://www.activehealthcare.co.uk for knowledge and well-being - in truth and in health Vaccination Information Most micro-organisms that cause serious illnesses live within healthy people without causing any symptoms at all. No vaccine containing pure micro-organisms elicits an immune response. Only when a toxin is added to the vaccine does the body respond to it. The presence of antibodies is not an indication of immunity. They are only a small part of the blood immune response. Government statistics show that death rates of ALL infectious diseases had drastically fallen BEFORE the introduction of the specific vaccinations. (The only exception is smallpox, which showed a 275% increase after vaccination was introduced. The program was consequently terminated and smallpox vaccination disappeared.) An unvaccinated child is not an unprotected child - it still has its natural immunity. The Lancet (12 January 1980) reported that the BCG vaccine, against tuberculosis, showed no evidence of protection but rather an increase in tuberculosis cases. This has been the only double-blind vaccine test ever to have been published. Micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) do not cause diseases, they aid in the cleaning up process of healing, the road back to health. Natural immunity is not disease-specific; one does not need to have come in touch with all diseases in order to gain immunity against them. All so-called infectious diseases are the result of a toxic condition within the organ or the whole body. The symptoms relate to the elimination effort the system is making to clear out the toxins. Susceptibility to disease depends solely on the state of health of the body, not on the exposure to micro-organisms. HOWEVER, if you believe that your vaccination gives you full protection against infectious diseases, then it should not matter to you whether somebody else has been vaccinated or not! Courtesy: ZEUS INFORMATION SERVICE. ============================================================================== You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BM_discussion" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] or visit http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change the way you get mail from this group, visit: http://groups.google.com/group/BM_discussion/subscribe To report abuse, send email explaining the problem to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ============================================================================== Google Groups: http://groups.google.com
