01/24/05 No protection; Wait to consider

01/24/05 No protection; Wait to consider

Environmentalists continue to say our government does not protect old growth forests like it should. And lands managers say the environmentalist's comments are misleading. This time, it is the group, The Lands Council, making the claim. A Lands Council press release states the U.S. Forest Service is failing to protect the required ten per cent of old growth forests in Washington, Idaho, and Montana. But a Forest Service spokesperson says The Lands Council's numbers are flawed, due to taking a smaller than usual sampling of old growth forests in their examination. It will be a little less than four weeks, not two, before a Chelan County Superior Court Judge is scheduled to hear Washington State Republican's challenge of the recent Governor's election. The G.O.P. asked Judge John Bridges for an extradited discovery process, but agreed with attorneys representing the state's Democratic Party that it should proceed at the usual thirty-day time frame. And even with that ruling, the Republicans may not even get the opportunity to get their case heard. Bridges granted the Democrats' request to hear a dismissal motion. That hearing is scheduled for February Fourth. One of the Canadian cows recently diagnosed with b.s.e. may have had six herdmates that were apparently shipped into the U.S. And according to news reports, U.S.D.A. officials are attempting to trace those cows and to find out if they too have b.s.e. Reports state the six cows were born within one year of the infected animal. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: Researchers like to tell us we are now three generations removed from the family farm. Meaning that the majority of Americans purchase their produce in "supposedly" sterile grocery stores, instead of harvesting it. That has changed the way we consumers view food. When I was a little girl a wiggly little worm in the core of my apple was a mere irritation, for my niece today it would be a full blown catastrophe. But thankfully she lives her life unaware that a lot of our foods teem with microscopic life. Despite the fact that America produces the safest and cleanest food in history of this great nation, the critters are there and live quite happily among our cheeses, vegetables and flour and any other edible goody they can find. Oh you can try cooking, canning, steaming freezing and any other "zing" you want, you might reduce their presence, but you can't totally sterilize foods. The good news is that the majority of this tiny organism doesn't hurt us, In fact in comparison to the bacteria found on our hands and the kitchen sponge they are really quite tame. I'm Susan Allen and this has been Food Forethought
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