02/17/05 BPA change impact?; U.N. connection?

A Portland based consultant says if the President's proposed plan to change Bonneville Power Administration's rate structure is approved, it could mean losses of between 20,000 to 30,000 jobs to both Washington and Oregon's economy. That is one of the findings of a study done by Robert McCullough, who works for several companies that buy power from B.P.A. McCullough's study also suggests a switch from wholesale prices to a system that reflects market rates could mean increased prices in a trend similar to that experienced by Northwest ratepayers during the West Coast power crunch of 2000 and 2001. The Bush Administration however says it is still too early to tell what negative impacts, if any, could come as a result of their proposal. It has been a controversy that has threatened the job of the current United Nations Secretary-General. It is the U.N.'s oil-for-food program and how some United Nations officials may have benefited financially from oil deals involving former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. A U.S. Senate panel investigating the oil-for-food scandal now believes it has evidence showing the former head of the program may have been one of the beneficiaries. Documents suggest that Benon Sevan personally received valuable oil allocations, a charge that Sevan's attorney denies. It is believed Saddam manipulated the humanitarian program to earn illegal revenues and bribe foreign officials. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: Agriculture has defined culture from the dawn of time. Through the selective breeding of plants and animals, humans have been assured survival. For many, biotechnology is merely another step in the great progression of agricultures' ability to feed the masses through increased yields and impervious crops. Through genetic advancements scientists have developed miracle crops like "golden Rice" that could prevent millions of cases of childhood blindness each year in countries with rice based diets lacking sufficient vitamin A. With every action, there exists a consequence. While I feel the benefits from plant biotechnology outweigh the risk, who draws the line? Ironically this commentary is produced one week after the license to extract stem cells from cloned human embryos had been granted to the scientist that cloned Dolly the sheep. This recent genetic "advancement" heralded throughout scientific community demands the capacity of man to ethically handle this technology without destroying the integrity of creation. I would question if man is morally up to that challenge? I'm Susan Allen and this has been Food Forethought.