#75 May/June 2005
The Washington Free Press Washington's Independent Journal of News, Ideas & Culture
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TOP STORIES

Skykomish One of Nation's Top-Ten Endangered Rivers River is "being loved to death"

The Republic of Vermont: so whatever happened to "Cascadia"?
by Glenn Reed

NORTHWEST & BEYOND news shorts compiled by Sharlynn Cobaugh
WA court strikes down prison labor; Militarization of Port of Olympia; Farming the seas; Monsanto buys Seminis; Homeland food security in Montana

FREE THOUGHTS

Why There is no Five-star treatment in an airplane
by Brenda Desjardins

My Practical Living Will
by Bob Flint

Ducky Defectiveness: Are we simply a defective culture?
by Doug Collins

READER MAIL
UW steamrolling over Icicle Valley; More ways to save watts; Taxing debate; Headstone of the 21st Century; Real reason for Iraq War

TAXES

Shifty Business: A mini-history and critique of the lopsided U.S. tax system
by Kathleen Merrigan

GOOD IDEAS FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Tax collection in India; "Naked streets" in Holland

ENVIRONMENT

Underground Lab Still Up in the Air
by Sharlynn Cobaugh

TRASH TALK by Dave and Lillian Brummet
Efficiency in the office; Efficiency equals reduction

Gasoline: weapon of mass desctruction
cartoon and commentary by Andrew Wahl

WORKPLACE

Suit Filed To Uphold Union Democracy
from the ACLU of WA

Labor Needs a Radical Vision
by David Bacon

Iraq's Oilworkers Will Defend the Country's Oil: Interview with Hassan Juma'a Awad
story and photo by David Bacon, with cartoon by David Logan

BOOKS

"Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas"
written by Naomi C. Rose

LAW

State Policies on Ex-felon Voting Need Repair
from the ACLU of WA, with cartoon by John Ambrosavage

BOB'S RANDOM LEGAL WISDOM by Bob Anderton

The payday lending scam

International Project to Stop 'Policy Laundering'
from the ACLU, with cartoon by Andrew Wahl

CONTACT/ACTIVISM

Day of Action Against Caterpillar
by Alice Zillah

NORTHWEST NEIGHBORS
contact list of subscribers who like to talk with you

DO SOMETHING CALENDAR!
Northwest activist events

MEDIA

MEDIA BEAT by Norman Solomon

When media dogs don't bark: new report on how power shapes the news

Bill Gates to fund WA. Free Press in perpetuity
by delighted editors

WAR & PEACE

Quotes for Peace
compiled by Stan Penner

Challenge to Howard Dean on War
War critics rally support to bring troops home
from the Progressive Democrats of America

MISCELLANEOUS

Citywide Wi-Fi
by Joel Hanson

Biopirates Lose Patent On Seeds Of India's Neem Tree
from Organic Consumers Association

SPIKE'S SCANNER interesting mail we recieved, scanned-in for your enlightenment
Universal health care; Reclaim democracy; Less stuff more time; Help prevent vaccine reactions; Creepy anonymous letter to the editor; Mercury in "silver" amalgam dental fillings

Biopirates Lose Patent On Seeds Of India's Neem Tree

Under the World Trade Organization (WTO), corporations now have the right to "discover" seeds and genetic materials used by indigenous peoples for centuries, and to patent these materials, thereby obtaining monopoly rights to its products and profits. One such example is that of India's Neem Tree, traditionally considered a sacred tree, whose seeds have a fungicidal quality that has been common knowledge to the indigenous people of India for centuries. Despite this widespread traditional use, an American company, Thermo Trilogy, was able to obtain a patent on that process. In other words, using Neem Tree seeds as a fungicide suddenly became illegal, unless you paid Thermo Trilogy its royalties first. But last week, for the first time in history, a patent has been revoked as a matter of protecting traditional knowledge and practices. This landmark decision by the European Patent Office is being celebrated in India and will likely inspire the reassessment of dozens of other similar patents. See this press release.

Organic Consumers Association


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