There is a pervasive attitude today that we are powerless to change our government and our world. Blame is pointed at politicians and policy makers; big government and big business. A general hopelessness hovers around most Americans as we wait for the election of the next "lesser-than-two-evils." While we may feel politicians don't represent us, the truth they only reflect the vote.

One lonely vote cast in the hinterland may seem insignificant but collectively your vote amasses great power. The last presidential election proved how a few votes can radically alter election outcomes. In the end, if we don't work for democratic change, democratic change will work against us. So tomorrow get out and vote. It is your right and responsibility. It's a great way stand up for what you believe in. Don't give your power away in cynicism or disgust. Make your voice heard tomorrow and every election from now on.

He is the farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan Canada whose Canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola. Even though Percy never purchased or planted Monsanto's Roundup Ready, the multi-national agribusiness giant is suing him claiming he owed them a "Technology Fee" because Roundup Ready plants were found growing among his own strains of canola. Never mind that the genetically altered seed could have come in on the wind, or during transport by humans or wildlife. 

So far the lower courts have sided with Monsanto, but Percy says he will take it to the Canadian Supreme Court. Moreover, Percy has responded with a counter suit against Monsanto for libel, trespass and contamination of his seed with Roundup Ready. To fight Monsanto's deep pockets and army of lawyers, Percy and his family have spent all of their life savings and have mortgaged nearly three fourths of their land. 

A fund has been established to accept donations to help pay his legal bills. 

The results of a field study seem to confirm that the most widely used pesticide in the United States can cause deformities in frogs.

Laboratory research published last April raised the possibility that atrazine, which is widely used on corn, soybeans, orchards, golf courses and lawns, causes hermaphroditism in male frogs. Last week, the journal "Nature" published a followup study of the incidence of frog deformities and atrazine levels at eight locations from Iowa to Utah. 

The study found high levels of frog deformities in watersheds with very low levels of atrazine, prompting researcher Tyrone Hayes to postulate that "lower doses of the chemical may actually be more harmful than higher doses. Heavy exposures may trigger biological defenses, he said, that allow the frogs to adapt, and in some cases thrive in watersheds contaminated with concentrated farm runoff."

Industry-financed scientists have scoffed at Hayes' conclusions, but the Environmental Protection Agency is examining his data and other unpublished research.

The U.S. District Court of Western Michigan has ruled that the pork checkoff is unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates the right to free speech. The suit was filed by small midwestern pork producers last year after Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman overturned the results of a producer referendum that sought to end the program. 

In his ruling, Judge Richard A. Enslen wrote: "The government has been made tyrannical by forcing men and women to pay for messages they detest. Such a system is at the bottom unconstitutional and rotten." 

The pork checkoff charged 40 cents on every $100 of hog sales, and small producers have long charged that the checkoff programs benefit large hog producers at their expense. Secretary Veneman expressed disappointment in the ruling, and the National Pork Producers Council, which administers the checkoff funds, is expected to appeal.

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