Saturday, January 24, 2004

Herbal Confusion 

I've never wondered where the herbs in herbal remedies come from. According to Alan Hamilton, a researcher with the WWF, many herbs used in herbal remedies are collected from the wild and that the practice is not only endangering plant species but is not a sustainable way for people to make a living ('Herbal medicine boom threatens plants', New Scientist, January 8, 2004).

Dr Hamilton is a member of the World Conservation Union's Medicinal Plant Specialist Group and has also helped to compile a report on the harvesting of herbs for Plantlife International. Plantlife aim to conserve plants in their natural environment.
// posted by Deanne @ 17:17
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Sunday, January 18, 2004

Pointing the Fingerprint 

Italian philospher Giorgio Agamben has decided not to take up a position at New York University to protest a US policy that requires overseas visitors and employees to be fingerprinted ('In Protest, Professor Cancels Visit To the U.S.', New York Times, January 17, 2004).

The professor, in a statement made to European newspapers including the French newspaper Le Monde (parts of which were translated for the New York Times article referenced above), said he was opposed to biological methods of tracking people, including retina prints and subcutaneous tattooing for political purposes.

The US-VISIT Program requires that people entering the US and who require a visa will have their fingerprints digitally scanned and photographs taken at airports and seaports. Australians, like Italians, do not need a visa if staying less than 90 days in the US and therefore will not need to be fingerprinted unless they are staying for longer periods.

Australia will also need to introduce biometric security measures before October 26, 2004 for this to continue. New Australian passports are now being trialed by customs that will allow a photograph of the holder's face to be digitally compared with the face of the person presenting the passport, according to The Australian ('Biometric passport demand likely', January 9, 2004). The Australian article also reports that Australia may in return require biometric identification of our foreign visitors if the US system appears to be an effective security measure.

In Brazil, visitors from the US are already being fingerprinted in response to Brazilians being digitally fingerprinted when entering the US ('.S. Begins Foreign Visitor-Tracking Program', FOXNews.com, January 5, 2004).


"At first, most of the Americans were angered at having to go through all this, but they were usually more understanding once they learned that Brazilians are subjected to the same treatment in the U.S.," Wagner Castilho, press officer for the federal police in Sao Paulo, said of those arriving at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport...


Brazil hopes to change the US decision not to allow Brazilians into the US without digitally fingerprinting them first.

// posted by Deanne @ 17:38
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Wednesday, January 14, 2004

Summer Curiousity 

Gill has lent me a collection of Susan Orlean's journalistic profiles called The Bullfighter Checks Her Make-up. In her introduction, Orlean says that readers often ask her if she is in touch with the people she has profiled. Now that I've read about surfer girls in Maui and Fab Five Freddy I'm starting to wonder how these people are faring now myself. I suppose lots of people might know what's up with Freddy, but not me.
// posted by Deanne @ 18:21
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Monday, January 12, 2004

Lost, Just Lost 

Not having a computer much of the time isn't helping my blogging - and my last post was lost as I became disconnected while publishing. Over the New Year I went along to the Luna to see Lost in Translation, which I enjoyed although I didn't realise that some scenes were two shots (do you think I missed some of the feel of the movie?) and visited Kings Park to do the treetop walk and see the city and river at dusk. Finished reading Steve Martin's The Pleasure of My Company last night too.
// posted by Deanne @ 19:23
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