Renowned local environmentalist Hazel Wolf passed away on Jan. 15 at the age of 101. Wolf, born in 1898 in Victoria, spent most of her adult life in the Seattle area and was a fixture in progressive politics here, from the 1930's-era CP to founding literally dozens of Audobon Society chapters in the '60s, to her nearly saint-like presence of recent years. She leaves behind generations of activists inspired by her example.--Geov Parrish

While on goings and comings, congratulations to ETS! contributor John Chapman and partner Julia Kay on their Jan. 21 birth of Kyra Jessica Kay-Chapman. Mom and daughter are nursing a lot and not sleeping much, but otherwise doing fine!--G.P.

Okanogan environmentalists got a surprise gift Jan. 20 when the state's Pollution Control Hearings Board shut down the Buckhorn Mountain gold mine project. The mountain was scheduled to be torn down beginning as early as this spring so that Battle Mountain, one of the continent's biggest mining conglomerates, could practice open-pit cyanide leaching on the nearly pristine highlands of North Central Washington. Enviros thought they had stopped the mine already--until Sen. Slade Gorton intervened with a rider to a Kosovo spending bill last May, trumping courts that had halted the environmentally rapacious project. Courts are unlikely to overturn the "expert" ruling of the Pollution Control Board, but given past history, it's a safe bet this story isn't over.--G.P.

Vindication last week for the Seattle Displacement Coalition's charges of conflict of interest in Seattle Housing Authority contracts at Holly Park. The ruling came from the Housing and Urban Development's Inspector General, and was worded unusually harshly. According to HUD, "there is no excuse" and the conflict "jeopardized the trust that citizens place in their governments." [sic] It's long been surmised that SHA board and staff are entirely too cozy with the contractors that build and tear down their projects. The Holly Park project was nailed on several counts. Next question: is the same thing going on with the current remodel under way at Rainier Vista?--G.P.

Last Saturday, protesters disrupted the World Economic Forum in the tiny, posh mountain ski resort of Davos, Switzerland. The U.S. press put the figure at 500 demonstrators, but European press at the scene estimated between 1,000 and 2,000 protesters marched in defiance of a Swiss court-ordered ban against demonstrations during the conference. As in Seattle, a few protesters broke off from the march to spray-paint, burn an American flag, break windows at a McDonald's, and trash police cars. Two policemen were beaten, one seriously. The Swiss army had been called in at the beginning of the conference to "keep order," which, of course, turned out to be a repeat of Seattle: pepper spray, rubber bullets, and arrests. The conference itself was made up of about 30 heads of state, who were vastly outnumbered by over 1,000 "representatives of industry," such as: Bill Gates of Microsoft, Michael Dell of Dell Computers, Steve Case of AOL, and the heads of BP Amoco and Ford Motor Company. Yet, it's not clear what business was conducted at the WEF, if any. The protest was timed to coincide with Bill Clinton's keynote address, and the forum itself was dominated by acute anxiety over the protests outside and memories of Seattle. The delegates seemed preoccupied with the sudden realization that there are many, many people in the world who have a problem with global capitalism. Consequently, much time was spent by Clinton and other speakers mouthing vague sentiments about the "have-nots" and the importance of helping the poor. Hurray for the protest organizers!--Maria Tomchick

For those who want to get involved in planning upcoming protests against other global economic institutions, there's a new international listserv to check out: a16-international-planning-subscribe@egroups.com. It will be used to disseminate info about actions and events surrounding the April 16-17 meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, D.C. You can join by sending a blank e-mail message to the address listed above.M.T.

While the U.S. media showed us smashed windows in Davos, it maintained a near total silence about the U.N.-sponsored bio-diversity conference in Montreal. The conference is a continuation of a February 1999 meeting in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, which broke up in disarray when the U.S. led a group of grain-exporting nations to refuse any and all controls over genetically modified food crops. This time, however, the U.S. was forced to make some concessions. The new agreement requires labeling of all shipments that may contain genetically altered components and it relies on the "precautionary principle": it allows nations to ban the import of any genetically modified foods that have not been proven to be safe. Nevertheless, there are a few gaping loopholes. At least 50 nations must ratify the agreement before it will go into effect. There is also a gap of two to three years before its provisions will go into effect. In addition, the agreement contains a "safety clause" that says its provisions cannot override any other treaties or agreements--including decisions rendered by the World Trade Organization. This leaves an out for U.S. agribusiness, which will be free to use the WTO to force entry of U.S.-grown genetically modified foods into Europe and other countries. But the bottom line issue is cost: it may, in the end, be more expensive for agribusiness to fight GM regulations than to simply comply. Let's hope so.--M.T.

"The line is busy..." So begins U.S. West's new replacement for the venerable busy signal. It replaces the familiar tones with a 15-second pitch for a call back when the line is free (for only 75 cents). Commercials are everywhere now. What's next? A mandatory radio spot before your call is connected? I probably shouldn't suggest it; someone at an ad agency might be reading.--G.P/.