NYMHM: The bioplastic question; U.S. Fourth Fleet heads south; Japan's Islands of Discontent

Wed Jul 16 16:58:46 PDT 2008

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   NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * July 16, 2008 * Vol. 7, No. 28

   Important but overlooked news from around the world.
   NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org.

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QUOTED:

    "Just because it's biodegradable does not mean it's good."

    -- Peter Skelton of the U.K.'s Waste and Resources Action
    Program, on compostable bioplastics (see "Plastics," below).

CONTENTS:

    *Top Stories*
      U.S. Fourth Fleet returns, heads south
      Monsanto loses Canadian GMO dispute

    *Plastics*
      Bioplastics: Friend or foe?

    *Japan*
      Memories of old Japan stir island dispute

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  TOP STORIES
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  * U.S. Fourth Fleet Returns, Heads South

    As the U.S. move troops through the Middle East, Latin American
    nations are wondering if the return of the U.S. Navy's Fourth
    Fleet off their coastlines signal a return to "gunboat
    diplomacy," Agence France-Presse reports.

    Representatives of Argentine president Cristina Kirchner have
    raised the question with visiting U.S. officials during a
    recent economic  summit.

    The fleet, which dates from World War II, was reactivated on
    July 1 after being mothballed for 58 years ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/005596.html

* Monsanto Loses Canadian GMO Dispute

    In late March, Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser won a small
    victory against Monsanto Corporation after a decade-long
    legal engagement.

    His struggle began in 1997 when the company sued Schmeiser
    after the its genetically modified canola plants were
    discovered growing on Schmeiser's property in Saskatchewan.

    Schmeiser said the modified canola was blown onto his property
    from a nearby farm, but Monsanto sued for $400,000, citing
    patent infringement and ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/005598.html

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  PLASTICS
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  * Bioplastics: Friend or Foe?

    Biodegradable plastics are raising hopes for a potential
    solution to overstuffed landfills, climate change and
    diminished fossil fuel resources.

    Yet they may not be as quick a fix as people would like,
    and researchers face an uphill climb towards finding a
    truly sustainable, renewable and biodegradable plastic.

    Bioplastics are sourced from plant-based materials rather
    than petroleum, and The Guardian reports that several
    universities in ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/005599.html

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  JAPAN
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* Memories of Old Japan Stir Island Dispute

    A new school curriculum in Japan is opening old wounds
    for its neighbors.

    South Korea has recalled its ambassador to protest a
    government educational guideline that considers two
    contested islands to be Japanese territory.

    The islands, referred to as Dokdo in South Korea and
    Takeshima in Japan, have been under South Korean ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/005600.html

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Editor: Josh Wilson
Interns: Julia Hengst, John Hornberg, T.J. Johnston
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