Bits and Pieces

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

OOPS! According to a Belgian scientist, there's been a series of ice ages in the past million years, each of which lasted between 90,000 and 100,000 years, interrupted by warm interglacial periods—such as the present one—which last some 18,000 years. (The last ice age, which took only 20 years to materialize, ended just about 18,000 years ago.)

 DESPITE FDA APPROVAL, Bendectin, the most commonly prescribed morning sickness remedy for pregnant women (which is produced by Richardson-Merrell . . . the same company that distributed thalidomide in the U.S.) may be responsible for a number of crippling and/or fatal birth defects.

AND THE BIRTH CONTROL "SHOT", DEPO-PROVERA, has been shown to cause long- and short-term infertility, possible sterility, severe menstrual disorders, hair loss, excessive weight gain, and depression in human patients . . . and uterine cancer in monkeys. Women who have received a contraceptive by injection at any time should write to: National Women's Health Network (2025 I Street N.W., Suite 105, Washington, D.C. 20005).

RURAL AMERICAN WOMEN, a 28,000-member coalition, hopes-among other things-to establish funding sources which women can use to purchase land, to act as a legislative advocate to protect women's rights to own and inherit land, and to eliminate discriminatory tax laws. For more information contact Rural American Women (1822 K Street N.W., No. 700, Washington, D.C. 20008).

 THE LARGEST MIGRATORY MOVEMENT IN HUMAN HISTORY is taking place in Third World countries, as 75,000 people every day move from rural to urban areas .... A Dutch scientist has found NO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN CARIES when fluoride users and nonusers have been carefully compared .... Forests, which now cover about one-fifth of the earth's land surface, are shrinking by SO ACRES FOR EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY .... DAY ... The use of new harvest machinery on California produce farms will ELIMINATE AT LEAST 40,000 JOBS by 1982 . . . . FULLY 25% OF THE GLOBE'S POPULATION IS HUNGRY or undernourished, and one person in eight suffers from debilitating malnutrition .... Thirty-three million American households planted food gardens last year (an increase of two million over 1978) and HARVESTED PRODUCE WORTH $13 BILLION. The average cost per garden was $19, with an average yield of $387 . . . . Just one of the U.S.'s 31 Poseidon subma rines carries more explosive power than was detonated IN ALL OF EUROPE AND JAPAN IN WORLD WAR II.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print