Good news for Door County's majority oldsters... "Eating moderate amounts of fish - and its added ingredient, mercury - appears to pose little danger to the brains of older adults, according to new study findings released Tuesday."

Nonetheless, eating contaminated fish can cause permanent language, attention and memory impairment in children. At least 45 states - including Wisconsin - have mercury-related fish consumption advisories but not many people pay attention to them. A recent study by the New England Zero Mercury Campaign found that 36 percent of New Englanders didn't know the government issues warnings. Forty-six percent didn't know that children and women of childbearing age should avoid swordfish, tuna steak and freshwater fish. And 59 percent didn't know that pregnant women and children should limit their consumption of canned tuna.

While the majority of the mercury pollution in the lake waters comes from coal-fired utility plants there are some things you can do to help reduce the contamination of mercury in land fills.
Last month the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules requiring power plants to reduce mercury emissions by 70 percent by 2018. But the new EPA rules also allow power plants to buy credits from other plants to avoid meaningful emissions cuts. At least nine states, including Wisconsin, have filed lawsuits against the government, saying the rules fail to protect the public's health and do not follow the requirements set out in the 1990 Clean Air Act.

It's all the rage these days, religious leaders of all flavors are deciding to take back the moral highground from the silly and simplistic, Satan-fearing sycophants. These are the endgame days and ways of a new world order as dictated by the Unitarian Jihad...

"Beware! Unless you people shut up and begin acting like grown-ups with brains enough to understand the difference between political belief and personal faith, the Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. We will not try for "balance" by hiring fruitcakes; we will try for balance by hiring non-ideologues who have carefully thought through the issues."

"People of the United States! We are Unitarian Jihad! We can strike without warning. Pockets of reasonableness and harmony will appear as if from nowhere! Nice people will run the government again! There will be coffee and cookies in the Gandhi Room after the revolution."

How fitting and indeed just right that my Unitarian Jihad Name is: The Nail Gun of Enlightenment.

Get yours.

When Door County photographer Jan Goff-LaFontaine decided to do a photo project on abuse against women, she took a daring approach... asking the models in her latest work, "Women in Shadow and Light, Journeys from Abuse to Healing," to provide not only their painful life stories, but to pose nude in order to "...let them see their bodies in a new way and let them find their beauty again... to sort of reclaim their bodies and their beauty."

Monterey Herald reporter Brenda Moore says, "...(Jan) talked about the idea with two friends who had been in abusive relationships and both endorsed it. She also discussed it with an abuse survivor who ran a domestic violence services agency in Door County. The woman liked the idea, and agreed to take part in it, she said. One woman led to another and another and eventually she had 40 subjects, ranging in age from 19 to 95, victims of sexual and physical abuse by family members, spouses, partners, strangers."

I wonder what response Jan's work would have elicited from Andrea Dworkin; born September 26, 1946, died April 9, 2005 a campaigner, writer and feminist activist who helped break the taboo over talking about violence against women by writing openly about her experiences as a prostitute, rape victim and battered wife. She led an active crusade against pornography and violence against women but her "bottom line" uncompromising approach was almost as threatening to women as she was to men. Her anti-marriage, anti-male stance split the feminist movement, where liberals believe "tasteful" pornography is empowering.

Camille Paglia cattily remarked that Dworkin never addressed her real problem, which was food. “Thanks to Madonna, the whole pro-sex wing of feminism which had been ostracized since the ’60s came back with a vengeance," says Paglia. "And we won. We won massively. Now, Catharine MacKinnon, Andrea Dworkin, you hardly see their names anywhere.”

"Young women are rarely given the opportunity to speak on their own behalf on issues that affect their lives and futures," says Feministing.com. They advocate girl-power by providing and on-line platform for them to comment, analyze and influence."

Meanwhile dirty old men are still lurking in the background... the power of porn is no secret to Rupert Murdoch. But how many conservative Fox News fans realize that Murdoch's News Corp. owned satellite cable company DirecTV, makes more than $200 million a year in pay-per-view pornography. Murdoch also owns the New York Post, and Harper Collins, which published porn star Jenna Jameson's bestselling book ''How to Make Love Like a Porn Star."

Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, also cashes in on porn, making more than $50 million from distributing XXX movies. And Comcast's E! Television network ran a highly rated ''E! True Hollywood" story starring none other than Jenna Jameson.

Janice in Baileys Harbor writes:
Hi Everyone!
WIDELY USED PESTICIDE KILLING FROGS--WHAT'S IT DOING TO US?
If you care about the effects that Monsanto's poisons are having on our health, our environment and the rest of the world, you may want to sign a petition against them. Visit www.organicconsumers.org to learn more, then click on Sign the Millions Against Monsanto petition that sends the FAX below to Monsanto CEO, Hugh Grant.

Monsanto is a HUGE, POWERFUL, EVIL EMPIRE...a "terrorist" of the worst kind. It's good that someone is trying to take a stand.

Hugh Grant
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
Monsanto Company
800 North Lindbergh Boulevard
St. Louis, MO-63167
(314) 694-1000

Dear Mr. Grant:

I am deeply concerned about the direction Monsanto Company has taken in the past decade with respect to sustainable agriculture and farmers' rights. Right now we are at a critical crossroads in history, and I fear that Monsanto Company is not contributing to the nation's welfare with a "profits over people" attitude.

Monsanto Company has embarked on a vicious campaign against family farmers in the North American heartland, as well as across the world. These hardworking farmers are the backbone of our nation's food supply and national security. The current climate of insecurity has been exacerbated by your company¹s policies of intimidation, lawsuits and defamation.

Monsanto's legal actions against Percy Schmeiser, the Rodney Nelson family, and the Oakhurst Dairy for example, are deplorable attacks, and do not reflect your "Stake in the Ground" pledge to honesty and decency.

The North American farm sector is becoming a veritable wasteland. Monsanto's Genetically Engineered crops have increased pesticide use, destroyed key export markets and threaten global food safety. Over 90% of American consumers want genetically engineered foods labeled, while 60% or more want GE-Free food for themselves and for their families.

Family farmers have the right to produce the safe, sustainable food without fear of intimidation and litigation. Consumers have the right to choose food that guarantees their families' health and safety. I demand that Monsanto change course by adopting the following practices:

1. Stop intimidating small family farmers
2. Stop force-feeding untested and unlabeled genetically engineered foods on consumers
3. Stop using billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to subsidize genetically engineered crops- cotton, soybeans, corn, and canola.
4.Stop placing patents on life forms. It is unethical and immoral.

I look forward to your written response on this important matter.

Sincerely,

The following is a live blog, that tracked the speaking event by John E. Peck at the Compass Coffeehouse in Fish Creek on April 9, 2005:

The former head of Cargill Inc., Daniel Amstead is in charge of US food policy in Iraq. He drafted the Bush policy on seed ownership that has taken away the rights of Iraqi farmers to save their own seeds.

What are the big GMO crops in the US? Corn, soybeans and cotton... Who cares about cotton? We don't eat it... Wrong, cotton seed oil is found in food for humans and in animal feeds. We won on wheat. GMOs have not been permitted there... yet!

Corn is one of the most promiscuous plants in existence, with corn pollen travelling miles. BT corn pollen is unchecked and affects all forms of life in the food chain starting with insects that feed on the pollen. We've lost a third of our honeybees in the past few years due to BT. Monarchs and Bt corn: questions and answers.

How much testing was done on bovine growth hormone? FDA and the USDA have a revolving door problem - executives from corporations leave and join a a supervisory government agency that would/should regulate that corporation. The history of such rotation is a scandal.

All foods must have GRAS Status - Generally Recognized As Safe. The "Precautionary Principle" says, "You need to prove something is safe before you introduce it to the market and it has essentially been tossed out the window."

Consumer right to know... it's just ECON 101. Do we have the right to know about GMOs? NO!

The whole genetic engineering process is very sloppy, a crazy shotgun effect, trying various things to see what happens.

Why would Monsanto want to sue someone for labelling their food product as BGH free? Because the label then implies that there is something dangerous or harmful about Monsanto's product BGH.

Should someone actually be able to own life forms and patent them? Not in India, they don't allow this, but here in the US we do, and the US administration intends to use the World Trade Organization to force countries like India to comply.

European scientists generally agree we should not be developing or producing any side products like drugs in a food crop... but US scientists are doing it in food crops, because their corporations own the patent rights on the food crops they use.

Property rights gone right out of control...
Monsanto currently spends $10 million per year suing farmers and have 75 people working fulltime on their agressive lawsuits. Percy Schmeiser's canola crop in Canada was contaminated by Monsanto seed growing nearby. Monsanto sued him, claiming he stole their seed. Monsanto investigators will actually drop a Round-up bomb on a farmer's field to see if the plants are Round-up resistant. If they live, Monsanto claims the farmer has illegally obtained Round up-Ready seed like Percy's canola crop in Canada.

The Canadian Supreme Court issued their decision in May 2004 and one can view the decision as a draw. The Court determined that Monsanto's patent is valid, but Schmeiser is not forced to pay Monsanto anything as he did not profit from the presence of Roundup Ready canola in his fields. This issue started with Monsanto demanding Schmeiser pay the $15/acre technology fee and in the end, Schmeiser did not have to pay. The Schmeiser family and supporters are pleased with this decision, however disappointed that the other areas of appeal were not overturned.

Oil, coffee and cocao are the three largest commodities traded in the world. Any farmer you talk to will tell you there's no free market on commodities. Prices are set by four companies in Chicago.

One audience member says, "All of this is very depressing... What can we do?"

BUY LOCAL... Kraft Singles are not even made with real milk. Buy Wisconsin cheese, shop at local farmer's markets. Do we have country of origin labelling here? NO... Most stores have no idea where their food comes from. Eat foods when they are available in season. The farmers' market in Madison is the largest one in the US.

What is food sovreignity?
The USDA decides what foods schools will serve in school lunch programs - not the local school board. Remember irradiated meat? This effort failed bacause of the public outcry. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal describes slaughterhouse practices. Our slaughterhouses run at 3 times the speed of those in Europe. In Sweden they have outlawed factory farming. We need to combine the organic movement with the Fair Trade movement.

Just Coffee in Madison has a slogan: "Not just a market but a movement."

Create a Farmer Diner - a restaurant where the food served is obtained locally. Have a "Food for Thought Festival" or a "Fair Trade Holiday Fair" featuring all local products. Where are the organic cherries from Door County? The Peninsula Research center is starting to explore this possibility - encourage them!

It's a scale thing... Small is best, local is best.

In October, 2001 a book entitled The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson coined the term Cultural Creative to describe, "people whose values embrace a curiosity and concern for the world, its ecosystem, and its peoples; an awareness of and activism for peace and social justice; and an openness to self-actualization through spirituality, psychotherapy, and holistic practices."

Taken together with The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life by Richard Florida and published in January 2004, one can begin to trace a path out of the woods. It's been a long winter and I am ready for the 2nd annual Arts Conference... Huh?

Last year a roomful of over a hundred dedicated cultural creatives gathered to brainstorm about the future of the arts in Door County. Round table discussions on a multitude of topics rolled on throughout the day. Now, a year later it's just a memory. Meanwhile Tom Tresser, a Chicago marketing executive and theater producer, turned a few heads around when he spoke at Arts Day in Madison this year. He's the organizing force behind the Creative America Project, a national effort to get creative people to run for office.

"Artists and creative professionals are non-traditional thinkers," he says. "They're problem solvers. And those are skills we need in the public space. We need those minds applied to public policy."

I've been talking with Tom lately... He's inviting artsy types to "start exercising their political imagination" by creating a "vision statement for a more creative America" and uploading it to his group's Web site. How about a vision statement for a more creative Wisconsin/Door County? If you are interested in helping to develop a sequel to last year's event I'd like to hear from you... editor@DoorCountyCompass.com.

With the 5-question bridge referendum set for a vote on Tuesday, April 5th, am I doomed to wear a tin-foil hat if I question the precise timing of the WI DOT? The Michigan Street Bridge will close for seven hours from 8 AM to 3 PM on Monday, April 4. The Bayview Bridge (Wisconsin 42/57) will have lane closures for five hours from 9 AM to 2 PM on Tuesday, April 5.

But far worse for summer tourism... The Milwaukee Journal's Larry Sandler reports, "If Marquette Interchange reconstruction hasn't affected you yet, get ready to cross over to the other side. Within two weeks, traffic on I-43 (through Milwaukee) will be cut to two lanes each way, all traveling in what are now the northbound lanes between W. North Ave. and W. State St. That will continue until November."

Door County Tsunami Warning Issued...
after HELP of Door County fails to help its biggest benefactor in a time of his greatest need

Years ago I once called to ask for HELP and was told that HELP existed for women and children... only. Men were not considered potential "victims" back then, only perpetrators... of violence against women and children. That call for HELP was made almost fifteen years ago. I had hoped that after more than a decade, HELP policies would have evolved.

The recent resignation of Allin Walker, after his abandonment by the officers and board of directors of HELP of Door County, should serve as a warning. Despite all of Allin's years of paid and unpaid service to this community and to his employers it seems that nothing tangible in regard to policy evolution has taken place at the agency. Men are still "perpetrators" and women and children their "victims."

According to a recent letter from Kirsten Dixner, president of the HELP board, and Tom Bronsky, president-elect of the agency, “There was a growing awareness of issues that warranted the board’s and Allin’s immediate examination for their potential impact on HELP of Door County, our clients, supporters and the larger community that we have served for more than 25 years.”

Instead of taking on the difficult task of providing a strong and supportive base for Allin Walker when he came under fire, they and their fellow board members chose to duck and cover, running for the exits in a most politically correct manner. Instead of truly considering the greater impact of their decisions on this community they chose a self-serving safe and tidy plan to dispose of their "problem."

This is the fundamental flaw in governance models utilized by almost all non-profit organizations. While there are many people who voluntarily work in the public interest, some individuals choose to serve on a board of directors because it makes them feel good about themselves. They show up for meetings and act very busy... once every 8 or ten weeks. Occasionally they serve on a committee. Meanwhile the paid staff suffers in the trenches each day, while their "performance" is evaluated from afar, by a collection of detached rulers... very feudal.

When Allin Walker fought to try to stop the inevitable reallocation of resources from social benefit programs to incarceration programs in building the inJustice Center he was cautioned by the HELPers to back off. When he claimed the recent Fischer case was further evidence of a lack of adequate social services and limited funds for mental health treatment in Door County he was again hushed. Now it seems a sniper has picked off Allin Walker, firing a bullet from so far back in his past that it's taken over 30 years to hit home.

Just like in all of those other assassinations, I'd like to get a close look at who it is that's standing just out of sight up on that grassy knoll. I'd like to ask them how they feel now after bagging their trophy, and I'd like to make sure they watch the wave of pain and loss and hardship that spreads outward in all directions. Allin Walker is not the loser in this tragedy. It's you and me and your friends and my friends and everyone else in this entire community... because that's how many people Allin Walker's efforts have benefited.

Has anybody here seen my old friend Allin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walking up o'er the hill
With Abraham, Martin and John.

I'm pleased to find out that Door County's Compass Coffeehouse is not alone when it comes to serving up a bit of left wing attitude with it's all Fair Trade and Organic coffee.Some conservatives are angered by opinionated quotes that Starbucks puts on its cups.

"The Seattle coffee chain has raised some eyebrows over its "The Way I See It" campaign, which prints quotes from thinkers, authors, athletes and entertainers on the side of your morning machiatto," says reporter Jay Cridlin. "Starbucks' founder and chairman, Howard Schultz, is a major Democratic campaign donor who last year gave $1,000 in Florida to Peter Deutsch's failed U.S. Senate campaign."

The cups also refer customers to the campaign's Web site, www.starbucks.com/wayiseeit where ordinary Joes can submit opinions for publication on a future cup.

Today I felt very "old" attending a lecture by Dr. Marc Von der Ruhr at the DCA. I listened to a nice young man voice his heartfelt beliefs, only to wonder how he had earned a doctoral degree in economics without ever getting his hands dirty. Privileged to be elevated - the sage on the stage with classic backdrop of Powerpoint slides - he played a perfect Custer facing an unsympathetic Apache audience that called to question much of his sterile, clinical approach to globalization. One can only hope that Marc gets stranded for a few months in Bangladesh or Kuala Lumpur without his credit cards, luggage and passport in order to gain a true grassroots understanding of world economics.

On a kinder note... I'd like to see Dr. Marc spend some time travelling as a Winess for Peace in order to experience firsthand how global economic and military policies affect the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Several DCA staffers leaked the news that Dr. Marc called in advance to find out the DCA's policy on dealing with vocal hecklers, so at least he came prepared for a frosty reception. Cheers to the students at his home base. SNC activists have worked to make Fair Trade coffee the exclusive variety served in all St. Norbert facilities.

"Two magazine covers stood out in poignant contrast on newsstands last week," says Scott Klinger in The Cavernous Divide. "Forbes magazine released its 29th annual listing of the world's billionaires. Time magazine's cover story wondered "How to End Poverty."

The Time article was written by Jeffrey D. Sachs a noted economist who stands at sharp odds with Dr. Marc Von der Ruhr. Sachs leads the U.N. Millennium Project and is director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. His latest book should be required reading (especially at St. Norbert College where Catholic charities strongly support Sachs' opinions) The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time.

“The system is not working right now — let’s be clear,” he says. “There’s a tremendous imbalance of focus on the issues of war and peace, and less on the dying and suffering of the poor who have no voice.”

According to a recent UN report on poverty, 1 billion people live on a dollar a day or less, many of them going to bed hungry every night; life expectancy in the poorest countries is half that of people in high-income countries. And every month, for example, 150,000 African children die of malaria because they don’t have bed nets to keep out mosquitoes, a tragedy Sachs calls the “silent tsunami.”

In 1970, the world’s nations agreed to provide 0.7 percent of their gross national income for development assistance, and that figure was reaffirmed by the U.N. conference on financing development in Monterey, Mexico, in 2002.

So far, only five countries have met or surpassed the target: Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Six others have made commitments to reach the target by 2015: Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Spain and Britain.

Where's the USA? We're busy trying to force corporate-driven global policy like NAFTA, CAFTA and FTAA on the poorer nations of the world, while fighting terrorism with bombs and bullets. It's no wonder Paul Wolfowitz, architect of the invasion of Iraq will now migrate to president of the World Bank.

"When you go looking for the Weird, the Weird also comes looking for you," says Richard Hendricks. He's the editor and publisher of Weird Wisconsin. He's always looking for articles, photos, websites, new books or references to books about Wisconsin-related materials, stories or photos of your encounters with weird phenomena and any research into the lore and legends of Wisconsin.

Jazz Composer Nabs Grammy After Web-Only Sales

"Jazz composer Maria Schneider took home a Grammy on Sunday for her album Concert in the Garden, without selling a single copy in a record store. Schneider, 44, financed her Grammy-winning album through a Internet-based music delivery service called ArtistShare that opens the financing of production to dedicated fans."

According to feminist icon Gloria Steinem, “The shape we call a heart resembles the vulva far more than the organ that shares its name... It was reduced from power to romance by centuries of male dominance.” A few years ago Steinem and other feminists banded together to start a campaign to replace the traditional Valentine’s Day on February 14 with “V-Day.”

The V-Day movement seeks to reclaim words that make some people blush and “stop violence against women and girls.” The V-Day website proudly states that “the ‘V’ stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.”

Weekly US Map: Influenza Summary Update provides the current status of influenza activity in the nation. The latter part of January brought widespread reporting of infection in southern and western Wisconsin, and now northern and eastern Wisconsin counties are reporting escalating rates of infection. Remember, the influenza virus may be transmitted to others one day before onset of symptoms and up to seven days after the first sign of symptoms. Also, while Governor Doyle has lifted the restrictions on access to the influenza immunization in the state of Wiscosin, 4-6 weeks must pass before significant protection is present. To avoid infection,

# Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

# Wash your hands often.

# Avoid touching surfaces such as doorknobs, grocery cart handles, cash... It's winter- try wearing gloves when in public as a simple solution to the problem.

# It's common sense, but often ignored... stay away from people who are sick!

# Wash your hands often.

# Stay home as much as possible and specifically avoid obvious situations where contagion is likely.

# If you get the flu, stay home from work or school. No one wants you to return before you're ready and infect everyone else.

# Wash your hands often!

Wisconsin State Rep. Terri McCormick (R) is planning to run for Mark Green's (R) seat in the 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Door County. McCormick set up a federal campaign account Wednesday, while Green recently converted his federal account to a state campaign fund in preparation for his campaign for governor. McCormick, resides in Grand Chute and she says the most important issues to her are national security, job creation and traditional values.

Word Spy! is devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases. These aren't "stunt words" or "sniglets," but new terms that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites, and other recorded sources.

Billionaires for Bush packed the Platinum Club in Washington DC last night. Over a thousand people dressed to the nines, dancing on four different floors, celebrated four more years and four more wars compliments of of their man Bush... Marco Ceglie, a political activist that Compass Coffeehouse regulars will remember as "Monet Oliver D'Place," the billionaire that brought the “Get on the Limo” Tour to Fish Creek this summer has a new project in addition to his infotainment gig: wheredowego.org. Pictures from the Platinum Club will be posted ASAP...

The Human Flower Project is an international newsgroup, photo album and discussion of how people live through flowers. They report on art, medicine, society, politics, religion, and commerce.

Bill Bishop, a reporter with the Austin American-Statesman says, "I read on humanflowerproject.com that the flower decorations at the inauguration’s “Democracy Ball” will be only shades of red. Perfect. That’s the meaning of democracy these days: we keep all the red flowers over here, all the blue flowers over there and all the gold flowers in another spot."

Proposed wind farm project behind schedule
"As an application for the Forward Wind Energy Center continues to wind its way through the review process at the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, a local group continues to fight the proposed 133-turbine wind farm."

Located near the Horicon Marsh, friends of the nationally recognized wildlife refuge are voicing concerns about the impact of the 400-foot tall turbines on birds and bats common in the area, group President Joe Breaden said.

Umbra Fisk of Grist Magazine says, "The number of animals inconvenienced by worldwide climate change will be exponentially higher than the number killed by wind farms, and for that reason, everyone who pauses to consider the big picture should be supporting wind farms in their community."

Its Eyes is a 6 minute and 30 second long film, freely available for download and alteration that envisions surveillance cameras as a biological organism slowly taking control of our urban space. Filmed on location in the Chelsea Market and Harlem, Its Eyes explores concepts of control, technological innovation, and surveillance.