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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (8095)	11/30/2000 1:52:30 PM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10042

Will they never stop screwing up in the most sensitive matters? Another Nuke Security Goof-Up NewsMax.com Thursday, November 30, 2000 The Clinton-Gore administration's Energy Department has been caught allowing classified documents from its nuclear laboratories to be mailed to non-approved recipients. It was the department's own inspector general who found it out and blew the whistle. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, who has been responsible for what goes on in those super-secret nuclear laboratories, has a trail of compromised-security incidents occurring on his watch. His response to this latest follows a pattern: He tried to place the blame elsewhere, said there were no serious consequences and promised the problem is being corrected. (cont) newsmax.com

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (8095)	11/30/2000 2:15:32 PM
From: long-gone	Respond to of 10042

You know, this might be a bit far afield(pun intended) but let me tie it together. How many people starve each year? There is a region of Africa which could well grow far more potatoes! A pint of beer + a slice of brown bread, & a boiled potato(with skin) & you have a complete protein with most of the rest of your most basic dietary needs! Have you watched the slowness with which this administration(pushed by the Liberals) has allowed GM foods to be brought to the market? Forbes Posted: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 \| 8:09 p.m. E-mail this Story to a friend Breaking story Monsanto genetically engineers potato that resists common fungus By Tina Hesman Of the Post-Dispatch Scientists at Monsanto Co. have genetically engineered a potato to resist a common fungal disease. The feat marks the first time researchers have been able to make fungus-defying potatoes by inserting a single gene. Other attempts produced potatoes that withstood fungal diseases in the laboratory, but not in the field. "Fungal diseases in general have been one of the tougher challenges for biotechnology," said Monsanto's David M. Stark, who heads the company's potato business. In the December issue of Nature Biotechnology, the Monsanto researchers report that potatoes engineered with a protein from alfalfa can ward off a common fungus. The fungus - Verticillium dahliae - lurks in the soil and kills young plants, robbing farmers of yield, Stark said. Potato growers lose between $70 million and $140 million in profits to the fungus every year. The fungus is usually kept in check by fumigation of the soil, Stark said. Fumigation kills both the fungus and some harmful nematodes, but is not a particularly attractive option for most growers because of the cost and health hazards from the chemicals. "Soil fumigants are not the most worker-friendly chemistry," Stark said. Potato farmers spend about $75 million to control the fungus each year. The scientists isolated a protein from alfalfa that makes the plant naturally resistant to Verticillium. When they tested the protein - called alfAFP, for alfalfa anti-fungal protein - in the lab, it stopped the fungus from growing. The protein also halted the growth of two other plant fungi that cause early blight in potatoes and head scab, a wheat disease. (cont) postnet.com