The Ambassadors - International News - Vol.3, Issue 2 (July 2000)

Alexandria, EGYPT - 'Isis' found among lost underwater ancient cities
(Associated Press)

"It is the most exciting find in the history of marine archaeology said Dr. Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt. "It has shown that land is not enough for Egyptian antiquities." In June 2000, French archaeologists scouring the Mediterranean seabed, found the 2,500-year-old ruins of submerged Pharaonic cities that until now were known only through Greek tragedies, travelogues and legends. This discovery marks the first time that historians have found physical evidence of the existence of the lost cities, which were famous not only for their riches and arts, but also for numerous temples dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis, Serapis and Osiris, making the region an important pilgrimage destination for various cults.

The discoveries off of Egypt's coast were made after two years of underwater exploration conducted in waters 6 meters to 10 meters deep by an international team led by French archaeologist Franck Goddio. These expeditions incorporated the use of state of the art technology, including magnetic waves, to map the seabed area. Dr. Goddio told the AP, "We have an intact city, frozen in time," of Herakleion, once a customs port where commerce flourished until the founding of Alexandria by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. Scientists speculate that it was probably destroyed by an earthquake. This is indicated by the position of collapsed columns and walls. They had all fallen systematically in one direction, said Amos Nur, a geophysicist from Stanford University who did the magnetic mapping of the area. The sea encroached on the land following the quake and ruins of Herakleion are now about six kilometers (four miles) from land in the Bay of Abu Qir. The sea also engulfed the cities of Canopus and Menouthis.

Among the stunning discoveries at the sites -- where the ancient cities of Herakleion, Canopus and Menouthis once stood -- are remarkably preserved houses, temples, port infrastructure and colossal statues that stand as a testimony to the citizens' luxuriant lifestyle.

Herodotus, the well-known Greek historian visited Egypt in 450 B.C. and wrote about Herakleion and its temple dedicated to Hercules. Greek mythology tells the story of Menelaos, king of Spartans, who along with Helena stopped in Herakleion during his return from Troy. His helmsman, Canopus, was bitten by a viper and subsequently transformed into a god. Canopus and his wife Menouthis were immortalized by two cities that bore their names. Authors such as Strabo describe the geographic location of the cities and their rich lifestyle.

Dr. Gaballa said the cities -- probably built during the waning days of the pharaohs in the 7th or 6th century B.C. -- will be left as they are in the sea and only smaller pieces will be retrieved for museums.

Pasteur Mérieux Connaught, world leader in vaccines, has changed its name in the scope of the creation of Aventis, a leading life sciences company. This change follows the merger between the two major companies Rhône-Poulenc and Hoechst. The company will now be called Aventis Pasteur. "Our name has changed. Our commitment to preventing disease has not," said Dr. J. Mark Lievonen, the President of the new amalgamated Aventis Pasteur Ltd. Today, Aventis Pasteur Limited is part of Aventis Pasteur, a global leader in vaccines and member of Aventis SA, a world leader in life sciences. The companies products are known to distribute to over 160 nations worldwide.

In Canada alone, Aventis Pasteur develops, manufactures and distributes over 30 vaccines and immunotherapeutic products. These products protect against 17 diseases and common illnesses, including influenza, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, measles, bacterial meningitis, rabies and tuberculosis.

Aventis Pasteur Ltd's recent innovations include PENTACEL™, which guards against the five most common childhood diseases - pertussis, polio, tetanus, diphtheria and Haemophilus influenzae b - in a single injection. PENTACEL has become the gold standard in pediatric immunizations and is currently being licensed throughout the world and will be manufactured in Canada at the company's Toronto facility.

The Board of Directors of Canada World Youth (CWY), a national organization dedicated to the welfare of youth globally, have appointed Mr. Matthew Perce as President of the organization starting April 2000 for his long history with CWY at both regional & national levels, his work as field staff in Jamaica & Malawi, and as director of the Atlantic regional office and head office in Montreal.

In the Spring CWY Bulletin, Mr. Perce mentioned that Canada World Youth offers skills development opportunities, including the ability to work in teams, think critically, communicate effectively, work responsibly, and adapt to new situations since these are the building blocks to an effective and productive career spanning range of jobs over many years.

Mr. Perce explained that, "The NetCorps Canada International Program is giving young people to develop the information technology skills that are currently in great demand. Our programs foster global citizens- young people who are active, productive, creative, and sensitive to what's happening within and outside their borders."

Chicago, USA - "Sue", the T. rex, remains of unspecified sex

Molecular geneticists are invited to visit Chicago Field Museum of Natural History and to help in identifying the precise sex of the 12.5 meters long, 7 tons weight, best preserved and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered. The dinosaur came back to life in Chicago after a 67-million-year slumber. (www.fieldmuseum.org).

"Sue," named for Sue Hendrickson, the fossil hunter who found the fossils in South Dakota. Paleontologists are still not certain of the dinosaur's sex. The museum is using the main hall to display "her." In reality, scientists cannot say for sure whether Sue was male or female. The T. rex bones cost the museum $8.36 million at an auction that had been delayed for years by a drawn-out legal battle.

An examination of Sue's skull with an industrial CT scanner supported the theory that T. rexs' olfactory bulbs, which controls the sense of smell, were each bigger than the cerebrum, the thinking part of the brain. "T. rex must have had an excellent sense of smell," Becky Margolin, the exhibit's assistant developer, told CNN.

Researchers have also learned much about Sue, whose bones reveal scars of battles and disease. Her left leg is "almost grotesque in how it looks" because of some kind of infection, said Darin Croft, a museum scientist. "Sue lived a long, hard life, we think." However, "because she is so well-preserved, we'll be able to reconstruct musculature in a very detailed fashion. And that will allow us to look at things like top speeds of T. rex and how they were able to move," she told CNN.

The tragedy of Elian Gonzalez, the 6-years-old Cuban child who lost his mother during a boat trip from Havana to Florida led to an ongoing saga on the future of the child and Cuban-US relations. The Miami relatives insist that the boy should remain in the USA while his biological father, Juan Miguel is eager to return with his son back to Cuba. Mr. Craig, Juan Miguel's lawyer said, "This is an issue of family and parents, not politics."

The American court supported the boy's re-union with his father and recently rejected the alternative raised by the Miami relatives to grant Elián the right to claim asylum in the US.

Recently President Clinton mentioned, "I hope, with time and support, Elián and his father will have the opportunity to be a strong family again," to which Juan Miguel responded with thanks to the American people for their support. A question that arises from this case is whether this case can improve US-Cuban relations or is it just another custody case?

This battle for both custody and asylum has been the highlight of media attention for several months and has brought US-Cuban relations to the forefront of national public attention.

Following a series of quick decisive court rulings against the notion that a 6-year old boy can request asylum without parental consent, the courts have decided that the boy can finally return to Cuba with his father, step-mother and half-brother. Elian returned to Havana, Cuba early this summer ending a 6-month saga about his future - but it does it end here? Or does the Elian case target a much larger agenda concerning the two countries involved?

protest
Protesters during a demonstration
in Miami, Florida

Elian and father
Elián and his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez in Maryland

Elián Gonzalez, runs with his Cuban friends in Queenstown, Maryland

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh is an international organization, with strong links to many overseas countries, where more than half its Fellows and Members live and practice medicine. The college has a proud history spanning more than 300 years. Some of its former Presidents have earned their place in medical history: Sir James Young Simpson, who discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform; Sir Stanley Davidson, whose medical textbook is used by students the world over and which is now into its 17th reprint; and Sir John Crofton who led the Edinburgh team which discovered a cure for tuberculosis in 1954.

Prof. James C Petrie, President of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh mentioned, "Whilst remaining justly proud of its illustrious past, the modern College remains faithful to its earliest aims: to promote the highest standards in medicine. In the UK it is to the forefront of all aspects of postgraduate medical education, which includes a comprehensive program of conferences, seminars and teach-ins. Internationally, its Consensus Conferences have been highly regarded by doctors and health care professionals around the world."

This College has also been instrumental in the setting up and co-ordination of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, which produces validated guidelines for the management of a variety of clinical conditions. Many of these guidelines are now in local practice and receiving international acclaim. Both associations will hold a symposium on "Clinical Effectiveness, Clinical Guidelines & Clinical Standards" on November 3, 2000. The content of the symposium will focus on evidence-based medicine, cost-effective techniques and implementation strategies. The conference will attract all healthcare professionals in the UK and abroad. (For further communication, contact Mrs. Anne Fairbairn, the coordinator at afairbairn@rcpe.ac.uk.

In a special ceremony, the college honors a select group of medical leaders by awarding them the prestigious Fellowship. This year one of the honorees, Prof. Mokhtar Gomaa, is a renowned cardiologist, former Dean of the Al-Azhar medical college and one of the founders of The Ambassadors Online Magazine.

Prof. Gomaa receiving the fellowship of the Royal
College of Physicians

Prof. Gomaa and his wife Prof. Mervat with their
daughter following the ceremony

Remarkable advances have been made to identify genetic factors for infertility, which affects roughly 15-20% of American couples. Concurrently, there has been an increase in the ability to overcome infertility with new and sophisticated technological advances in assisted reproduction. The recent availability of genetic testing and treatment for infertility places patients and their treatment providers on the edge of technology, and also in the midst of many complex decisions.

The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) is organizing a short course entitled, "Genetics of Infertility" which will be held in Savannah, Georgia, November 5-6, 2000. This course follows the 19th Annual Education Conference discussing, "The Counseling Role in Genetic Counseling" which will also be held in Savannah from November 2-5, 2000.

The NSGC is the leading voice, authority and advocate for the genetic counseling profession and promotes the genetic counseling profession as a recognized and integral part of health care delivery, education, research and public policy. Genetic counselors are well qualified to facilitate understanding for both patients and providers, coordinate testing and care, and address the emotional impact of infertility and its treatment. Readers can also visit the NSGC website at www.nsgc.org.

Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, from the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, introduced an exhibition on Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which affects more than 200,000 Canadians over 65, by medical students at Dalhousie University saying, "Can my colleagues and I go beyond the description of the molecules, the synapses, the legions, to the illness? How can we engage students in the humanity of the disease that can be emotionally wrenching for patients, their families and caregivers?" This project was supported by Prof. Noni MacDonald, Dean of the medical college, and Pfizer Canada.

In the exhibition's booklet entitled, "Table of My Memory: Alzheimer's through art in medicine," the 34 artistic contributions were introduced and explained. Dr. Jean-Michel Halfon, President & CEO of Pfizer Canada Inc., exclaimed "As our population ages into the new century, the number of people who's lives will be directly affected by this stealthy and mind-dropping disease will grow dramatically. Art is an excellent means of communication for the otherwise almost indescribable impact of AD on those affected by it: patients, their families and, yes, physicians."

A medical student and project coordinator and editor of the booklet, Jonah Samson, noted "As you look through these art works and read what each student has written about their personal projects, you will see that some people found inspirations in the pages of medical textbooks while others draw from the experience of having their lives personally touched by someone with AD. Yet despite these differences, all of the works have one thing in common; they all focus on the patient."

I remember a time long ago,
It was not a day, a month, nor a year,
You were there; I remember your smile,
The teddy I would hold so dear.
...
But today I come by with my bear in my arms,
Pictures in tow, I sit at your knees,
"Daddy, do you remember..." as I flip through the lot,
But you don't seem to even see me.

Reham Abdelaziz constructed a puzzle that showed the association between the loss of memory and personality changes. She attempts to portray the loss of identity through the idea of a puzzle. The mixed-up pieces also symbolize the confusion, disorientation, and impaired recognition that accompanies AD. "The core of their personality may be there, some of it lost, but all 'shuffled up'."

Crystal Doyle mentioned, "At the age of about 10, I read the novel, What's wrong with Daddy? by Alida E. Young where the father attempts to help his daughter understand what he was experiencing by describing his AD as an 'eclipse' of the moon (his mind is the moon and the darkness is slowly blotting at the light).

Lynne Ann Bussey painted an Alzheimer's patient centrally located in the nucleus of a neuron cell as a reminder to stop thinking about the dignosis and start seeing the people affected. She mentioned, "I don't want to be the kind of physician that fails to see the illness through the patient's eyes."

Maclean's magazine published in its March 13, 2000 issue the story of the famous Canadian journalist, Christopher Young who was diagnosed with AD after his retirement in 1996 from his job as editor of the Ottawa Citizen. The 73-years-old journalist discovered that like his mother, he acquired the disease. It is well known that AD threatens thousands of men and women everywhere. The most famous patient is President Ronald Regan, who will always be remembered in bringing down the Berlin Wall in 1989. His wife, Mrs. Nancy Regan and his daughter Maureen are doing a great effort as caregivers and advocates for increased AD research for early diagnosis and treatment. For further information about AD you can visit the Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center at http://www.alzheimers.org.

A decade following the Gulf Crisis in Kuwait, a new book on Middle East discusses democracy in
the Gulf emirate.

Dr. Mary Ann Tetreault is a professor of political science at Iowa State University who has spent much of the last decade studying the state of Kuwait. Her recent book, which was published by Columbia University Press in May 2000 was entitled "Stories of Democracy: Politics & Society in Contemporary Kuwait" tackles issue of nationality and citizenship in the Arabian emirate. She spent a semester in Kuwait (Jan-May 1990) as part of her Fulbright research departing only 2 months before the Gulf crisis in August 1990. The book presents the first comprehensive perspective of the shifting tides of democratic governance in modern Kuwait, form 1921 to the present day. Based on interviews with both the political elite and oppositional movements, Tetrault's book sheds light on a wide array of issues concerning Middle Eastern politics and democratic institutions in the region. The author also acknowledges the assistance of Dr. Haya al-Mughani, the eminent Kuwaiti sociologist with whom she collaborated on their researches of gender politics in Kuwait.

The book's philosophical underpinnings and findings are best described by Tetreault herself in the introduction:

"It is a story about how we understand social contrasts in political systems from North America to Southeast Asia. The story is about Kuwait is itself a collection of myths, about Kuwait, about political change in the Arab or Muslim world, and about citizenship and democracy anywhere and at anytime."

The publication of Tetreault's book coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Gulf crisis..

Bedouin, or "without", is the word used in Kuwait to describe stateless people who live in Kuwait and claim to be Kuwaitis in what is one of the small state's most complicated and sensitive internal issue. Bedouins represent 15 percent of the number of Kuwaitis. Some 65 percent of Kuwait's 2.2 million population are foreigners living with residency permits. Kuwait's parliament recently approved a law to grant up to 2,000 Bedouin Kuwaiti citizenship by the end of the year. An additional 4,000 dependents could benefit from the measure.

Kuwaiti interior minister, HE Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Sabah, said to Reuters that the total number which met the criteria were 36,716 people. But not all would necessarily gain Kuwaiti citizenship. Out of one group of 1,286 Bedouin adults who underwent DNA testing to prove Kuwaiti lineage, 650 are being considered. If all are granted citizenship following further "sifting," a total 1,358 could gain Kuwaiti papers, the minister said.

Officials and MPs say that many of the Bedouins are citizens of neighboring states but have hidden their original papers. Around 25,000 Bedouins have acquired in the past 10 years foreign passports - mainly Canadian and Australian, officials say. There is no doubt that DNA biotechnology will be the primary indicator of those with Kuwaiti lineages and eligible for citizenship.

Massachusetts, USA - Can experimental animal cloning turn back the aging process in humans?

A recent study entitled, "Extension of Cell Life-Span and Telomere Length in Animals Cloned from Senescent Somatic Cells" published in Science magazine by Robert P. Lanza, Jose B. Cibelli, Catherine Blackwell et al (April 2000: 665-669) raises the exciting proposition of reversing degenerative conditions and cloning brand new human body parts when the old ones fail.

The question now is, "Are we closer to overcoming the aging process in humans after a successful genetic engineering experiment on six cloned heifers?" Researchers predict that this project will help them perfect methods to clone new human organs and tissue, eg. young cartilage for elderly knees. Dr. Jose Cibelli, a cell biologist at Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts, mentioned, "Maybe cloning cannot only restore the life span, but extend the life span."

In January 1998, University of Massachusetts scientists announced the births of the first cloned cattle with genetically engineered traits, a breakthrough they say could have great benefits for US agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.

The feat, accomplished at UMass-Amherst, demonstrates that scientists can introduce new traits into cattle and produce any number of identical animals having these traits, all in one process. This breakthrough came one year following the cloning of "Dolly" the sheep by scientists from the Roslin Institute in Scotland in 1996. Among the first payoffs are expected to be cows genetically modified to secrete pharmaceutical drugs in their milk - at lower cost, in many instances, than by conventional manufacture. Also, herds of identical cattle with improved meat and milk characteristics, or genetic traits make them resistant to various diseases, such as BSE or ''mad cow'' disease. The first cloned, transgenic calves in the world are the two calves named Charlie and George born in Texas from embryos created at UMass.

Between the 1st and 5th of June, the beautiful and scenic Acapulco, Mexico became the site of the International Communication Association (ICA) conference. The occasion brought together scholars, students and professionals from all branches of the communication discipline from around the globe. Panel sessions included presentations about local, regional and international journalism, television and radio broadcasting, organizational & interpersonal communications. This year's conference commemorates 50 years of communications & ICA.

President Clinton and President Putin announced an agreement on nuclear issues for each country to destroy 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium; and an agreement to create an early-warning center in Moscow to share data on missile and space launches around the world. This center will be the first permanent military US-Russian project, where military officers from both countries will work side-by-side.

President Clinton, nearing the end of a weeklong European tour that included stops in Portugal and Germany, flew to Moscow from a conference in Berlin with leaders of more than a dozen nations in June. It was Clinton's fifth and probably last presidential visit to Moscow but his first meeting with President Putin since he took office in May.

A new book entitled, "Democratic Governance and International Law" is a recent publication by Cambridge University Press (www.cup.org). The editors of this 600-page book are Fox, Gregory H. and Roth, Brad R., who are distinguished university law professors at Chapman University, Orange, California and Wayne State University, Detroit respectively. This book considers how the post-Cold War democratic revolution has affected international law. Traditionally, international law said little about the way in which governments were chosen. In the 1990s, however, international law has been deployed to encourage transitions to democracy, and to justify the armed expulsion of military juntas that overthrow elected regimes. In this volume, leading international legal scholars assess this change in international law and ask whether a commitment to democracy is consistent with the structure and rules of the international legal system.

Following the introduction, "The spread of liberal democracy and its implication for international law" written by the editors, the book is divided into five parts with 20 contributors: The Normative Foundations of a Right to Political Participation, Democracy and Inter-State Relations, Democracy and the Use of Force, Democratisation and Conflicting Imperatives, and Critical Approaches.

The United States condemned a brutal ambush that claimed the lives of an American journalist, a Spanish photographer and four Sierra Leone Army soldiers in the West African nation on May 24. The American journalist from Reuters, Kurt Schork, 53, and the Spanish Associated Press cameraman-producer, Miguel Gil Moreno, 32, were killed when rebels ambushed journalists and Sierra Leone Army soldiers near Rogberi Junction, 54 miles from the capital Freetown. South African cameraman Mark Chisholm and Greek photographer Yannis Behrakis, suffered slight injuries in the mid-afternoon attack. (http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/sleone000525.html)

In Sierra Leone, the most disturbing sights is not just the misery of soldiers who lost legs or arms to war wounds or exploding mines, but also children, who have had limbs deliberately hacked off by rebels during the country's 8-year civil war. About 1,850 people live in Freetown, of whom 195 are amputees. Of that number, 33 are double amputees!

Tambe Ngoja, a 40-year-old amputee from Freetown, expressed to the late Reuters correspondent Kurt Schork, "I was captured by the rebels. They held my arms down across a log and they cut them both with a machete." Dr. Jean-Michel Piedagnel, head of mission for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), noted that the Freetown camp is a both a psychological and physical ghetto.

Since a coup d'état in May 1997, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been running a surgical program at Connaught Hospital in Freetown for war-related injuries. The hospital received large numbers of wounded during the February 1998 ECOMOG advance on the capital and performed 15 to 20 emergency operations daily. Since April, streams of injured civilians from the east and northeast of the country have reached Freetown requiring surgery at Connaught Hospital (on one day last April, for example, 58 emergency surgeries were performed). Many, including children, have suffered amputations of hands, arms, or legs.

Herodotus, the 5th century-BC Greek historian was captivated by the Great Pyramids, Sphinx and the statues of the Old Kingdom (2650 to 2150 B.C.; spanning Dynasties Three to Six).

On February 13, 2000, Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids, a major international exhibition of ancient Egyptian art opened at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and organized as a joint project with The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (Paris). This magnificent exhibition brought together approximately 200 masterpieces from the Golden Age of the pyramids and drew more than one million visitors in both France and the United States in 1999. The superb monumental statue of King Menkaure and his queen, discovered in 1910 by a Harvard University expedition and known as the "Mona Lisa of Egypt", was one of the primary attention grabbers during the exhibition along with jewelry and bas-reliefs from Old Kingdom art. King Menkaure is the builder of the third pyramid at Giza.

for centuries to come. This period is commonly referred to as the "Age of the Pyramids" and considered by the Egyptians themselves to be their Golden Age, this unprecedented period of artistic flowering has never been surpassed. Created for the temples and tombs surrounding the pyramids, the objects in the exhibition were borrowed from more than 30 museums in 10 countries.

Dr. Lindsay Sharp, the ROM's President and CEO. "Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids" marks the culmination of an extensive collaboration between the ROM, the Louvre Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It clearly shows the important contribution that the ROM's collections and leading scholarly research can make to international cultural initiatives." The French press described the exhibition: "exceptional...it takes one's breath away with its beauty" (Le Figaro Magazine); "Ancient Egypt dazzles Paris once more..." (Arts et Divertissement); "a veritable artistic abundance proving the vitality of this exceptional epoch" (Connaissance des Arts).

Time magazine reviewed both the Paris and New York presentations of Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Scott Macleod, writing about the Paris show, said "the exhibition reveals artistic splendors...(providing) the clearest understanding to date of how Old Kingdom art evolved in an impressive variety of styles, materials and skills...Egyptian art was not only for the pharaohs, but the masses too." (May 10, 1999). Michael D. Lemonick reviewed the New York display: "(it) showcases superb art from the age of the pyramids...a spectacular exhibit (from the time) that Egypt came of age as a civilization." (Sept. 20, 1999)

Michael Kimmelman, of the New York Times, declared " (it) easily gets the early vote for blockbuster of the fall season...Those of us who aren't Egyptologists will simply be grateful for the chance to peruse work that, aside from being astonishingly beautiful, has continued to seem over thousands of years both mysteriously impenetrable and familiar at the same time...It's a final, intriguing paradox that an art about death should teem with so much life." (Sept. 17, 1999)

The Polish-born archeologist, Dr. Krzysztof Grzymski, the ROM's senior curator of Egypt and Nubia and one of the exhibition organizers, mentioned that thousands of the viewers admired a lot of beautiful things. He favors a saying that, "the curator opens the door, but the public must go through it alone. The exhibition has special relevance in the millennial year 2000, when people feel an increased fascination with time. The Egyptians really wanted to build the monuments of eternity, and 5,000 years later, the pyramids are still there." Surprisingly, no exhibition has ever before been organized on the art of the Old Kingdom, as research tended to focus on the period's remarkable architecture. The exhibition aims to fill that gap, while also including architectural scale models to increase the public's general understanding of the period.

The ROM is Canada's largest museum of natural history and human cultures, with five million objects in its collections and over 40 galleries showcasing art, archeology and science. Created in 1912, the ROM's permanent galleries, changing exhibitions and public programs, as well as its fine shopping and dining facilities, are enjoyed by more than 700,000 visitors every year and is located in the heart of downtown Toronto. For further information on the ROM go to www.rom.on.ca.

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told President Bill Clinton during his visit in June that his country is going to forever close the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on December 15, 2000 - the scene of the world's worst nuclear accident.

CNN mentioned more than 3 million of Ukraine's 50 million people were affected by the disaster, caused when an unauthorized experiment in Reactor No. 4 went awry. Thirty-one people died immediately when a power surge triggered an explosion, and thousands more are believed to have died since then from the disaster's effects.

The explosion came early in the morning of April 26, 1986, and spewed into the air -- over Ukraine, Belarus and other areas outside the then-Soviet Union -- 30 to 40 times the radiation of the bombs the United States dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

Contamination ruined countless stores of food and damaged agriculture and livestock. Mutations surfaced as time went on. and radiation spread across Europe and eventually registered over the entire Northern Hemisphere. For further information on the genetic aspect of the Chernobyl disaster, you can visit the PROFILE section of this issue of The Ambassadors.

The American Journal of Medical Genetics, published by Wiley-Liss embarked on the new task of publishing "Seminars in Medical Genetics" in 1999. Since then, they have published 6 issues pertaining to different genetic concerns: Neurofibromatosis (Ed. David H. Viskochil), Health Supervision and Anticipatory Guidance in Genetic Syndromes (Ed. Golder N. Wilson), Hereditary Deafness (Ed.William J. Kimberling), Sex Determination and Sex Differentiation in Humans (Ed. Joe Leigh Simpson), and Genetics of Schizophrenia (Eds.Ming T. Tsuang & Stephen V. Faraone). The Summer 2000 issue will be entitled, "Developmental Genetics of Human Malformations (Eds. Jeffrey C. Murray & John M. Opitz). The AJMG editor-in-chief, Prof. John M. Opitz from the Primary Children's Medical Center in Utah, is a world-renowned medical geneticist and syndromologist.

The introduction of the AJMG seminars was met with a lot of support and anticipation by many biologists, medical geneticists and scientists worldwide. The success of the past 6 issues is encouraging for the future of the Seminars, in an era that is ......... Human Genome Project.

The death of Jessica Russell in early May 2000 and arrest of Mr. David Trott promoted a wave of finger-pointing among British Columbia's legal, health and social services agencies. Mr. Trott, 20, is facing a first-degree-murder charge in connection with the strangling death of 9-year-old Jessica Russell. He has been diagnosed as a victim of fetal alcohol syndrome, a permanent and incurable brain disorder caused when a women drinks alcohol during pregnancy. It is estimated that 3/1000 Canadian babies are born with this syndrome, which include facial deformities, nervous system disorders, hyperactivity and other learning and behavioral problems. It is also believed that up to 50% of Canada's prison population has some degree of fetal alcohol effects. A review of this case was written by Jane Armstrong in the May 11, 2000 issue of the Globe and Mail newspaper (www.globeandmail.ca).

The International Society of Psychiatric Genetics will be holding its 8th world conference in August 27, 2000 (www.socfi.fr). The conference committee is made up of 34 scientists from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, UK and USA are headed by Prof. Jacques Mallet. There are three international officers for the society. They are: Prof. Peter McGuffin, President of London Institute of Psychiatry, Prof. Theodore Reich, Vice President of Washington University, MO and Prof. Lynn E. DeLisi, Secretary/Treasurer of State University of New York.

The symposium will discuss new approaches towards genotyping and functional genomics, genetic diversity: implications for localization of complex disease genes, treatments arising out of genetics, and neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol and substance dependence.

The conference will be held in Versailles, France. It is not necessary to describe VERSAILLES in detail, as it is an historical site already known the world over. The city of Louis XIV, "The Sun King", is still very much as it was at the end of the 17th century with its monuments of classical architecture, its baroque churches and, of course, its magnificent palace and gardens.

Two excursions will be organized for attendees of the conference. The first is to Orsay Museum in Paris which has been installed in a remodeled 19th Century Railway Station and is entirely devoted to one of the most fruitful periods of the history of art : the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In the magnificent hall covered by the carefully preserved glass cupola, there is a collection of paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and even photographs. All the styles which came into being during that period are represented : the academists, impressionists, symbolists, fauvists, and pointillists. The second excursion is a walking tour to the Trianon, which is made-up of two small chateaux that were summer residences for the kings and then to the Hamlet of Marie-Antoinette.

The April 27-30 conference on "Re-Igniting the Spirit of America: A Summit on Values, Spirituality and Governance" was a tremendous success with 63 speakers including Ralph Nader (running for President on the Green Party ticket) and Ethel Kennedy, introduced by her son, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. All the guest speakers gave tremendous speeches that electrified everyone. Stories on the conference were featured in The Washington Post and The Washington Times.

Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson, the co-founders of The Center for Visionary Leadership, mentioned that an exciting new initiative born from the conference is the League of Spiritual Voters, which we are developing with a group of speakers from the conference. Our website now has a special section on Spirituality and Politics (http://www.visionarylead.org/spiritualityandpolitics.htm) with conference follow-up news. Excerpts of many conference presentations are posted, as well as news from around the country on spirituality and politics.

UN, Geneva - World Health Organization announces international longevity statistics

Dr. Alan Lopez, head of WHO's Epidemiology and Burden of Disease Team, announced that healthy life expectancy in some southern African countries is dropping back to levels we have not seen in advanced countries since Medieval times. Recent WHO statistics using the health-expectancy ranking showed important findings. This ranking is calculated by measuring total life expectancy and subtracting years of ill-health weighed according to the severity of the sickness.

Studying more than 100 nations showed that the top of this health indicator was Japan, where a traditional low-fat diet and low incidence of smoking have held rates of heart disease and cancer in check. A new-born in Japan is expected to live 74.5 healthy years. At the bottom of the list sits battle-torn Sierra Leone, where AIDS along with the ongoing civil war lead to the new statistics that show that a baby born there can expect to live only 25.9 healthy years. These shockingly low longevity are also present in 14 other Sub-Saharan African countries (from 35.6-29.1 healthy years). On the better side of the spectrum, 14 Western countries follow Japan, ranging from 73.2-71.7 healthy years.

In light of these latest statistics, The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, repeated his warnings on the spreading problems in Africa of war, famine, poverty and AIDS. Mr. Annan repeatedly has made calls for the need to establish a strategy to overcome these problems and the growing gap between lifestyles of the North and South.

Europe's most esteemed soccer tournament is now underway to decide who the European champions are in the first competition of the new millennium. The competition is an extremely popular event which takes place every four years. Euro 2000 is co-hosted by both Holland and Belgium and will include 16 nations competing for the title. Two of the top favorites are World Cup champions France who've demonstrated excellent form in their recent games. Another favorite to go all the way and clench the title are the co-hosts Holland who have assembled one of their best and most consistent teams in years. The games will alternate in 8 venues throughout the two host nations. For a soccer ("football") world that has been waiting for a high-adrenalin competition since the World Cup in 1998 will be pleasantly satisfied with the delicacies of Euro 2000.

All the games in the tournament were very entertaining, even to the last minute, which made people rename it to the "last minute" tournament. Several games were decided by goals scored in the last minutes of the game, or even during stoppage time. Reaching the semi-finals, the four best teams of the tournament battled it out : France vs. Portugal and Holland vs. Italy. Once again the games weren't anything less than what the fans had got accustomed to in the early rounds, but it was the French going through with a golden goal penalty kick and Italy pulled the upset against the home team through penalty kicks in a game that was very captivating full of drama. Interest for the final game was rising, and it wasn't a surprise to see the French winning with a picture-perfect golden goal in the early minutes of extra time. France had done the undone - they had won the World Cup in 1998 and only two years later, they had also one the European Cup as well. As the French celebrated winning the World Cup, and now accompanied by non-French soccer fans around the world, there's little more to say than, "Viva la France!" (For further info about the tournament go to www.euro2000.com)

If you wish to post any other news in this section, send the information to ambassadors@sprint.ca for consideration.


Sue, 41 feet long, is the most complete T. rex skeleton ever found.