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Douglas Gowan
Douglas Gowan (1943–2018) was a former Assistant Parliamentary Secretary at the National Farmers Union and a researcher on PCBs. He found pollution near Brofiscin Quarry in Wales and filed the first official report in 1972 after nine cows on a local farm died of poisoning. In 2007 ''The Ecologist'' reported that Gowan had been offered witness protection after receiving death threats. He also stated that he had been discredited by Monsanto through a two-year smear campaign. His work formed the basis of the BBC Radio 4 series ''Buried: The Last Witness'', first broadcast in June 2024. Welsh actor Michael Sheen first read Gowan's name in an article in Wikipedia in 2017, visited him and recorded a seven-hour interview, and spoke about him in his 2017 Raymond Williams Raymond Henry Williams (31 August 1921 – 26 January 1988) was a Welsh socialist writer, academic, novelist and critic influential within the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Farmers' Union Of England And Wales
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) is an employer association representing farming and growing businesses within England and Wales. The NFU originated as the Lincolnshire Farmers' Union (LFU) which was founded in 1904. Over the next four years, similar farmers' organisations were established in neighbouring counties. In 1908, these organisations formed the current National Farmers' Union. Colin Campbell was its first president. The organisation has been led by Tom Bradshaw as president since 2024. History Background tensions The late 19th century coincided with increased struggle between three main groups: * farmworkers, those farming on land on which they had no control over; *tenant farmers, those renting the land to farm; and *landowners, those owning the agricultural land. The rise of the labour movement saw farmworkers organise agricultural trade unions such as the Lincolnshire Labour League and the Warwickshire Agricultural Labourers Union. These unions initia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polychlorinated Biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula Carbon, C12Hydrogen, H10−''x''Chloride, Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectric and coolant fluids for electrical equipment. They are highly toxic and carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer electronic products, whose production was banned internationally by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001. Because of their longevity, PCBs are still widely in use, even though their manufacture has declined drastically since the 1960s, when a multitude of problems was identified. With the discovery of PCBs' environmental toxicity, and classification as persistent organic pollutants, their production was banned for most uses by United States federal law on January 1, 1978. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) rendered PCBs as definite carcinogens i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brofiscin Quarry
Brofiscin Quarry is a disused limestone quarry in Groes-faen, near Llantrisant in South Wales. It was used for about seven years for the dumping of toxic waste including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and was capped in 2011. Some 72,000m3 / 80,000 tonnes of material was dumped here. Prior to its remediation, ''The Guardian'' described the site as "one of the most contaminated places in Britain." The level of pollution is such that it featured in an international conference discussing remediation of contaminated land. These events were described by ''The Ecologist'' magazine as "one of the biggest environmental crimes to have occurred in the UK". and the key witness at an Environmental Agency inquiry on 2006 ended up needing to live under police protection. The company using this disposal site also used the nearby Maendy Quarry. Pollution Brofiscin Quarry is privately owned and was leased to waste contractors for use as a landfill, as is common with spent quarries. It was used a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust Limited. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of ''The Guardian'' free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for ''The Guardian'' the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in its journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editor-in-chief Katharine Viner succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ecologist
''The Ecologist'' was a British environmental journal/magazine, published from 1970 to 2009. Founded by Edward Goldsmith, it addressed a wide range of environmental subjects and promoted an ecological systems thinking approach through its news stories, investigations and opinion articles. ''The Ecologist'' encouraged its readers to tackle global issues on a local scale. After cessation of its print edition in July 2009, ''The Ecologist'' continued as an online magazine. In mid-2012, it merged with ''Resurgence'' magazine, edited by Satish Kumar, with the first issue of the new '' Resurgence & Ecologist'' appearing in print in September 2012. ''The Ecologist'' was based in London. History ''The Ecologist'' emerged from the first wave of environmental awareness that followed the seminal book ''Silent Spring'' by Rachel Carson, which highlighted the dangers of bio-accumulative pesticides within food chains, and that culminated in the first United Nations Conference on the Huma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Witness Protection
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police. While witnesses may only require protection until the conclusion of a trial, in particularly extreme cases, some witnesses are provided with new identities and may live out the rest of their lives under government protection. Protection is typically needed when their safety is at risk due to the potential for retaliation. The program aims to ensure their safety and encourage them to cooperate with law enforcement by providing information that can help solve cases and bring criminals to justice. It is an important tool in maintaining the integrity of the justice system and protecting those who are willing to come forward with crucial information. Witness protection is usually required in trials against organized crime, where law enforcement sees a risk for witnesses to be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in the 1970s. Later, the company became a major producer of genetically engineered crops. In 2018, the company ranked 199th on the Fortune 500 of the largest United States corporations by revenue. Monsanto was one of four groups to introduce genes into plants in 1983, and was among the first to conduct field trials of genetically modified crops in 1987. It was one of the top-ten U.S. chemical companies until it divested most of its chemical businesses between 1997 and 2002, through a process of mergers and spin-offs that focused the company on biotechnology. Monsanto was one of the first companies to apply the biotechnology industry business model to agriculture, using techniques developed by biotech drug companies. In this business m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. Since 2019, the station controller has been Mohit Bakaya. He replaced Gwyneth Williams, who had been the station controller since 2010. Broadcasting throughout the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands on FM broadcast band, FM, Longwave, LW and Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, and on BBC Sounds, it can be received in the eastern counties of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, northern France and Northern Europe. It is available on Freeview (UK), Freeview, Freesat, Sky (UK & Ireland), Sky, and Virgin Media. Radio 4 currently reaches over 10 million listeners, making it List of most-listened-to radio programs#Top stations in the United Kingdom, the UK's second most-popular radio station after BBC Radio 2. BBC ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage roles in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1992), ''Don't Fool with Love'' (1993), ''Peer Gynt'' (1994), ''The Seagull'' (1995), ''The Homecoming'' (1997), and ''Henry V (play), Henry V'' (1997). He received Laurence Olivier Award, Olivier Awards nominations for his performances in ''Amadeus (play), Amadeus'' (1998) at the The Old Vic, Old Vic, ''Look Back in Anger'' (1999) at the Royal National Theatre, National Theatre and ''Caligula (play), Caligula'' (2003) at the Donmar Warehouse. Early this century Sheen began screen acting, focusing on biographical films. For writer Peter Morgan, he starred in a trilogy of films as British prime minister Tony Blairthe television film ''The Deal (2003 film), The Deal'' in 2003, ''The Queen (2006 film), The Queen'' (2006), and ''The Special Relationship (film), The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Expert Witness
An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as an expert. The judge may consider the witness's specialized (scientific, technical or other) opinion about evidence or about facts before the court within the expert's area of expertise, to be referred to as an "expert opinion". Expert witnesses may also deliver "expert evidence" within the area of their expertise. Their testimony may be rebutted by testimony from other experts or by other evidence or facts. History The forensic expert practice is an ancient profession. For example, in ancient Babylonia, midwifery, midwives were used as experts in determining pregnancy, virginity and female fertility. Similarly, the Roman Empire recognized midwives, handwriting experts and land surveyors as legal experts. The codified use of expert witne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories
Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories (IBT Labs) was an American industrial product safety testing laboratory. IBT conducted significant quantities of research for pharmaceutical companies, chemical manufacturers and other industrial clients; at its height during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, IBT operated the largest facility of its kind and performed more than one-third of all toxicology testing in the United States. IBT was later confirmed of engaging in extensive scientific misconduct and fraud, which resulted in the indictment of its president and several top executives in 1981 and convictions in 1983. The revelations of misconduct by IBT Labs led to reforms in the regulation of pesticides in the United States and Canada. History Early years IBT was founded in 1953 by Joseph C. Calandra, an Italian American professor of pathology and biochemistry at Northwestern University. Calandra, the first of his family to pursue higher education, contributed to the concept of toxicological ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
