This organic vegetable garden is located at 1100 S. Holly St., behind Ben Arnold Center. All who live near the garden are welcome to become growers. Reap the benefits of fresh food and community! Regular working meetings are held at the garden EVERY SUNDAY after 3:00 pm. Call 803-I-GO-CPRC (803-446-2772).  

Dear Editor:

As a well-published cancer epidemiologist (over 230 articles in peer-reviewed journals), public health professional, and concerned citizen who has followed the nuclear energy debate for the past 30 years I am strongly opposed to proposed nuclear power plant construction near Columbia.

From a health perspective, there is plenty of evidence that ionizing radiation is extremely deleterious to human health in the moderate to long term. Cancers in adults have an average latency period of around 20-30 years; in children, this period of cancer development can be much shorter. There is no way to guarantee containment of the very carcinogenic materials associated with nuclear power over a moderate period of time (i.e., decades).  So, it is very likely that rates of cancers and birth defects (which can appear relatively quickly) will increase if this very poorly thought out plan were put into effect.

From an economic perspective, irrespective of the huge costs that may be incurred when health risks are increased, this plan is equally absurd. Alternative forms of energy will be less expensive (and much less toxic), even in the short term.  They will become much cheaper with serious investments in research and development that are promised by the new administration.  Reverse (or net) metering will allow inventive individuals to generate electricity for the grid, thus accelerating innovation and reducing costs to an even greater extent.  Amortizing costs will make alternatives, such as wind and solar, much less expensive in the moderate to long term; and especially when costs of waste disposal (which appear simply to be discounted to zero by passing them on to future generations) are taken into account.

Sincerely, Dr. James R. Hebert, Columbia

Carolina Peace Resource Center has added its name to the list of organizations calling on Florida Governor Crist to disavow statements made by Terence McElroy, a spokesperson from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, indicating that one documented case of workplace slavery per year does not constitute a serious problem.

I want to thank all of the people who have been so helpful over the past few weeks. Wine for Peace was a success because of:

Thanks to all who made it a sucess!

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Student/Farmworker Alliance stopped in Columbia on their return-trip from New York. The final event of the Fair Food Tour was at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship on Friday, December 12.

Do you miss hearing the Seed Show in the mornings? We are taking a 2 month hiatus.  We are all volunteers and most of us are very busy doing a lot of other important work and are exhausted from our "day jobs". We are now further challenged with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season upon us when the pace is hectic and family time is so important.

Many people have expressed their belief in the importance of continuing and improving the quality of the Seed Show .  The personal pleasure and fun we all have had in working together to spread the word for peace and justice in these perilous times of continuing war and economic and social injustice is a good thing. We encourage our friends to think of the show as a cause and encourage them to volunteer as a part of our team.   We can also help our volunteers promote their own particular cause or organization.

We will be back soon, better than ever.  Listen for us on 1230am, , WOIC, the Air America affiliate, and seedshow.com,  progressive talk radio – The Seed Show.

Thank you so much.