The larger question is whether Dow Chemical Co. which owns Dow AgroSciences of Indianapolis, the manufacturer of Dursban voluntarily will agree to withdraw the insecticide from the home and garden market or try to challenge EPA's safety assessment. If Dow challenges EPA's conclusion, the insecticide might remain on the market for months or years before the issue is resolved. To the consternation of city officials and convention planners, the sea turtles are preparing to beach. The costumed demonstrators, along with thousands of plainclothes protesters, are expected to descend on Los Angeles for the Democratic National Convention in August. No one knows quite what to expect.
All sides say they want peace to prevail.
But with newly energized protesters willing to square off against a Los Angeles Police Department whose integrity is under attack, there is also growing fear that the confrontations could turn ugly. To further complicate matters, the homeless have plans to stage a rival convention for 1,000 of their own ''delegates'' just blocks from the main event at the Staples Center sports and concert arena. The Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis will officially launch a method it hopes can eliminate an issue that has alarmed environmentalists since the start of the biotech revolution. This technique is part of a drive to try and alleviate those fears. A new Ice Age may freeze over Earth in the late 21st century because emissions of gases linked to global warming halve the amount of certain currents circulating the oceans, a researcher's study has found.