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What A Week It Was: Apocadocuments from
View By Scenario:
Species Collapse:(4)
Plague/Virus:(2)
Climate Chaos:(8)
Resource Depletion: (7)
Biology Breach:(9)
Recovery:(9)
This Week's Top Ten Very Scary Tags:
toxic water  ~ endocrine disruptor  ~ plastic problems  ~ ocean acidification  ~ marine mammals  ~ efficiency increase  ~ faster than expected  ~ ecosystem interrelationships  ~ overfishing  ~ topsoil depletion  ~ endangered list  



ApocaDocuments (39) gathered this week:
Sun, Oct 5, 2008
from European Space Agency via ScienceDaily:
Arctic Sea Ice Annual Freeze-up Underway
After reaching the second-lowest extent ever recorded last month, sea ice in the Arctic has begun to refreeze in the face of autumn temperatures, closing both the Northern Sea Route and the direct route through the Northwest Passage. This year marked the first time since satellite measurements began in the 1970s that the Northern Sea Route, also known as the Northeast Passage, and the Northwest Passage were both open at the same time for a few weeks. ...


The circumnavigable North Pole... AKA the Apocalypse!

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Sun, Oct 5, 2008
from Geological Society of America via ScienceDaily:
Topsoil's Limited Turnover: A Crisis In Time
...Records show that topsoil erosion, accelerated by human civilization and conventional agricultural practices, has outpaced long-term soil production. Earth's continents are losing prime agricultural soils even as population growth and increased demand for biofuels claim more from this basic resource. ...


What a shame if topsoil plays out, but thank goodness we'll always have drive-thru windows!

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Sun, Oct 5, 2008
from London Observer:
Seas turn to acid as they soak up CO2
The Bay of Naples is renowned for its breathtaking beauty and glittering clear waters... But beneath the waves, scientists have uncovered an alarming secret. They have found streams of gas bubbling up from the seabed around the island of Ischia. 'The waters are like a Jacuzzi - there is so much carbon dioxide fizzing up from the seabed,' said Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, of Plymouth University. 'Millions of litres of gas bubble up every day.' The gas streams have turned Ischia's waters into acid, and this has had a major impact on sea life and aquatic plants. Now marine biologists fear that the world's seas could follow suit. ...


The world's seas full of acid ... now that would be one bad trip!

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Sun, Oct 5, 2008
from San Francisco Chronicle:
Warming Andes stymies Peruvian potato farmers
For the first half of his life, potato farmer Gregorio Huanuco used the same formula that had dictated the survival of his ancestors for generations.... by 1990, Huanuco began noting strange climatic patterns in this village of 500 residents at 11,000 feet in the Andean Cordillera Blanca. They included battering hailstorms, months without rain and warmer winters. By 2005, the quirky weather became more consistent and included a fungus that blanketed his potato crops. ...


If potatoes are in trouble, then french fires could be next!

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Sat, Oct 4, 2008
from Science Daily (US):
Atlantic Wolffish: Fearsome Fish That Deserve Protection?
... seeking endangered species protection for the Atlantic wolffish, a fish threatened with extinction due to years of overharvesting and habitat loss due to modern fishing gear. If the petition is successful, this will be the first listing of a marine fish as an endangered in New England.... According to federal statistics, the number of wolffish landed by commercial fishermen has dropped 95 percent from over 1,200 metric tons in 1983 to just 64.7 metric tons in 2007. More critically, wolffish have virtually disappeared from the annual scientific research trawls that take place twice a year in the state and federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the New England coast. In addition to fishing, habitat alterations are also suspected as a major threat to the wolffish. One scientist has estimated that virtually every inch of the seafloor in New England's ocean waters was impacted by commercial trawling (in which football field-sized nets are dragged through the ocean) between 1984 and 1990. ...


aaaooooOOOOOOOOO!

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Sat, Oct 4, 2008
from Azerbaijan Press Agency:
Tartar River water banned for using because Armenians poison it
Local residents said the river became very turbid and they found dead bodies of fishes and other river inhabitants. Armenians began to clean silt layer in Sarsang reservoir with the support of Russian company. The process was shown on Armenian TV channels broadcasted to Nagorno Karabakh. They shed slops from Sarsang and other reservoirs into Tartar River. Experts of the Azerbaijan Water Problems Institute found out that 90 per cent of the river water is useless. ...


Hey! That's my water your slops poison.

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Sat, Oct 4, 2008
from Washington Post (US):
Shrinking Oyster Population Focus of River Summit
"When I got out of the Army in 1970, . . . you could make a good living," Smith said. But the number of oyster boats has dwindled, as have the shucking operations throughout the Chesapeake Bay area. Although state and federal oyster restoration efforts have cost nearly $60 million since 1994, the number of oysters has declined, according to a recent Environmental Protection Agency estimate. Experts say the oyster population in the bay is at 1 percent of historic highs in the 1880s. ...


One percent!? That means the oyster beds are 99 percent pure emptiness.

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Sat, Oct 4, 2008
from Networkworld, via PostCarbon Cities:
Gas shortage spurs telework in southeast U.S.
Gas shortages in the southeast United States are prompting companies to consider expanding their telework programs so employees can conserve fuel. Other options workers are weighing include greater use of carpools and public transit, along with alternative scheduling arrangements such as four-day work weeks. ...


Say, that's taking lemons and making global lemonade!

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Fri, Oct 3, 2008
from 350:
Ecuador votes to grant rights to nature
...On Sunday, two thirds of Ecuador's citizens voted to approve a new Constitution, which notably includes a set of unprecedented articles that guarantee 'inalienable rights to nature'. The articles appear to be the first of their kind, and have sparked a global conversation... ...


Now all we have to do is spread the word!

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Fri, Oct 3, 2008
from Washington Post (US):
On the Sunny Beaches of Brazil, A Perplexing Inrush of Penguins
...Like some maritime dust-bowl migration, more than 1,000 ... penguins have floated ashore in Brazil, nearly as far north as the equator. By the time their webbed feet touch sand, many are gaunt and exhausted, often having lost three-quarters of their body weight. Even more have died....By Sept. 21, the Niteroi Zoo had received 556 penguins, compared with just seven penguins in all of 2007. Hundreds more dead and feeble penguins, some covered in oil, hit land in the resort town of Florianopolis, and as far north as Salvador and Recife. ...


Penguins migrating en masse to the beaches of Brazil? Surely one of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse!

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Fri, Oct 3, 2008
from Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics:
Rethinking Who Should Be Considered 'Essential' During a Pandemic Flu Outbreak
Not only are doctors, nurses, and firefighters essential during a severe pandemic influenza outbreak. So, too, are truck drivers, communications personnel, and utility workers. That's the conclusion of a Johns Hopkins University article to be published in the journal of Biosecurity and Bioterrorism.... Dr. Kass says, "when preparing for a severe pandemic flu it is crucial for leaders to recognize that if the public has limited or no access to food, water, sewage systems, fuel and communications, the secondary consequences may cause greater sickness death and social breakdown than the virus itself." ...


I'm afraid I'm nonessential.

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Fri, Oct 3, 2008
from Texas A&M, via EurekAlert:
Atlantic tuna return thousands of miles to birthplace to spawn
New research findings reported in Science have critical implications for how bluefin tuna are managed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.... Despite the high level of mixing, the team also observed that over 95 percent of adult bluefin tuna returned to their place of origin in either the Gulf of Mexico or Mediterranean Sea to spawn.... "Rates of homing reported here are extremely high and comparable to Pacific salmon, which are known to return to the streams in which they were initially spawned, with very high frequency," according to co-author Barbara Block from Stanford University. ...


Hey! That's my breeding stock you're overfishing!

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Fri, Oct 3, 2008
from USA Today:
Exposure to chemical may affect the genitals of baby boys.
Baby boys are more likely to have changes in their genitals — such as undescended testicles and smaller penises — if their mothers were exposed to high levels of a controversial chemical during pregnancy, a new study shows. Virtually everyone has been exposed to the chemicals, called phthalates, which are used in countless plastic products and are found in everything from drinking water to breast milk to household dust, according to the study, published in the current issue of Environmental Research. ...


Maybe phthalates are just our special little way of making the necessary reductions in population.

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Want more context?
Try reading our book FREE online:
Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies!
More fun than a barrel of jellyfish!
Fri, Oct 3, 2008
from Ecology Society of America, via EurekAlert:
Decline in Alaskan sea otters affects bald eagles' diet
Sea otters are known as a keystone species, filling such an important niche in ocean communities that without them, entire ecosystems can collapse.... [S]ea otters can have even farther-reaching effects that extend to terrestrial communities and alter the behavior of another top predator: the bald eagle. In nearshore marine communities, towering kelp can reach heights of 250 feet and function much like trees in a forest, providing food, homes and protection for fish and invertebrates. The most important enemies of these giant algae are tiny sea urchins, only inches in diameter, which live on the kelp's holdfasts and eat its tissue. When urchin populations become too large, they can defoliate entire kelp forests, leaving only barren remains.... Otters can eat the spiky urchins whole, making them the major urchin predator. The otters' presence keeps urchin populations in check and maintains the balance of the ecosystem.... The results are the first to show that the presence or absence of otters influences a terrestrial animal, and that the complex food web linkages can reach as far as five different food chain levels: from sea otters to sea urchins, kelp, marine fish and finally bald eagles. ...


Our country's symbol is at risk? TO THE BARRICADES!

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Thu, Oct 2, 2008
from CSIRO (Australia):
Emissions rising faster this decade than last
The latest figures on the global carbon budget to be released in Washington and Paris today indicate a four-fold increase in growth rate of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions since 2000. "This is a concerning trend in light of global efforts to curb emissions," says Global Carbon Project (GCP) Executive-Director, Dr Pep Canadell, a carbon specialist based at CSIRO in Canberra.... Dr Canadell said atmospheric carbon dioxide growth has been outstripping the growth of natural carbon dioxide sinks such as forests and oceans. ...


Apparently 4X in seven years is "concerning." What would 10X be: "worrying"? What does it take before it's "panic-making"?

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Thu, Oct 2, 2008
from Geological Society of America:
Topsoil's Limited Turnover: A Crisis in Time
Records show that topsoil erosion, accelerated by human civilization and conventional agricultural practices, has outpaced long-term soil production. Earth's continents are losing prime agricultural soils even as population growth and increased demand for biofuels claim more from this basic resource.... Top geomorphologist David R. Montgomery of the University of Washington says that "ongoing soil degradation and loss present a global economic crisis that, although less dramatic than climate change or a comet impact, could prove catastrophic nonetheless, given time." ...


This professor, to be very careful, uses clauses which, to the detriment of his message, separate his swing from his punch, grammatically, more or less.

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Thu, Oct 2, 2008
from University of Michigan:
Scientists explore putting electric cars on a two-way power street
Think of it as the end of cars’ slacker days: No more sitting idle for hours in parking lots or garages racking up payments, but instead earning their keep by providing power to the electricity grid. Scientists at the University of Michigan, using a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), are exploring plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) that not only use grid electricity to meet their power needs, but return it to the grid, earning money for the owner.... The concept, called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration, is part of a larger effort to embrace large-scale changes that are needed to improve the sustainability and resilience of the transportation and electric power infrastructures. If V2G integration succeeds, it will enable the grid to utilize PHEV batteries for storing excess renewable energy from wind and the sun, releasing this energy to grid customers when needed, such as during peak hours. ...


Distributed batteries for the grid. Nice!

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Thu, Oct 2, 2008
from Environmental Research, via EurekAlert:
Six environmental research studies reveal critical health risks from plastic
Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and flame retardants (PBDEs) are strongly associated with adverse health effects on humans and laboratory animals. A special section in the October 2008 issue of Environmental Research, "A Plastic World," provides critical new research on environmental contaminants and adverse reproductive and behavioral effects. Plastic products contain "endocrine disrupting chemicals" that can block the production of the male sex hormone testosterone (phthalates used in PVC plastic), mimic the action of the sex hormone estrogen (bisphenol A or BPA used in polycarbonate plastic), and interfere with thyroid hormone (brominated flame retardants or PBDEs used in many types of plastic). ...


I'm thinking wax paper, glass bottles, and stainless steel containers may be growth industries.

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Thu, Oct 2, 2008
from Manila Bulletin:
81 drums of toxic endosulfan recovered from sunken ship
"US-based salvor firm Titan and its local partner Harbor Star have started retrieving the endosulfan from the wreck. As of 1 p.m. last Tuesday, 22 packs of endosulfan, out of 400, had been retrieved, Bautista said.... The divers and the personnel receiving the containers on the barge were wearing hazmat (hazardous material) suits. These are people trained on the handling of toxic substances.... After the chemicals and hydrocarbons are extracted, the bodies of the ferry passengers will be retrieved. ...


Diving in hazmat suits, extracting toxic chemicals, with corpses floating within the sunken ferry... this should be a movie!

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Wed, Oct 1, 2008
from Agence France-Presse:
Palin: Cause of global warming 'doesn't matter'
WASHINGTON: Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said on Tuesday that global warming is "real," but stressed that it "kind of doesn't matter" whether or not humans are to blame for climate change. ...


We kind of think she's sort of unqualified to run for any kind of office.

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Wed, Oct 1, 2008
from Science:
Acidic Oceans Getting Noisy, Too
The ocean is becoming a noisier place. As seawater turns more acidic, due to absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) building up in the atmosphere, it allows sound waves to travel farther, according to new research. That's potentially bad news for a host of marine animals, including whales and dolphins, that rely on sound for hunting and communication--and that are easily stressed by background noise from ship traffic and military sonar. ...


Thank goodness we can all rely on our iPods to drown it out.

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Wed, Oct 1, 2008
from London Guardian:
Met Office warns of need for drastic cuts in greenhouse gases from 2010
The world will have to take drastic action within two years to reduce greenhouse gas pollution if it is to avoid the worst effects of climate change, a new study warns... The study shows that cutting global emissions by 3 percent a year from 2010 offers the only possible hope of avoiding a global temperature rise of more than 2C - widely recognised as the threshold beyond which the worst impacts of sea level rise and drought become a significant risk. ...


Whew! We still have a little over a year left to par-tay!

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Wed, Oct 1, 2008
from Associated Press:
Feds propose listing 48 Hawaiian species at once
HONOLULU - The federal government took a new, ecosystem-based approach to the endangered species list on Tuesday, proposing an all-at-once addition of 48 species, including plants, two birds and a fly, that live only on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The action by the Interior Department would designate about 43 square miles as critical habitat for all the species rather than considering each species' habitat separately, which has been the practice for three decades. Officials said considering the species all at once should save time and resources and would help the whole ecosystem. ...


Why don't we name the entire planet threatened and get it over with?

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Wed, Oct 1, 2008
from Associated Press:
Experts warn species in peril from climate change
ORLANDO, Fla. - Climate change threatens to kill off up to a third of the planet's species by the end of the century if urgent action isn't taken to restore fragile ecosystems, protect endangered animals and manage growth, scientists warned Wednesday as a wildlife summit opened. "Much of the predictions are gloom and doom. The ray of hope, however, is that we have not lost our opportunity. We still have time if we act now," said Jean Brennan, a senior scientist... ...


It's not a threat, it's an opportunity!

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from Los Angeles Times:
California launches broad effort to control hazardous chemicals
California today launched the most comprehensive program of any state to evaluate, label and, in some cases, ban industrial chemicals that are linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other deadly effects on human health.... Instead of a product-by-product approach, two new laws are designed to encompass 80,000 chemicals now in circulation, focus on the most dangerous, widespread substances first and control them at the manufacturing stage, before they leach into the air, water or human skin. The legislation, Schwarzenegger said, propels California to "the forefront of the nation and the world. . . . With these two bills, we will stop looking at toxics as an inevitable byproduct of industrial production." ...


Now there's a form of the shapeshifting Terminator that I like!

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from National Research Council, via Miami Herald (FL):
Report blasts slow progress on Everglades restoration
After eight years, the ambitious effort to restore the Everglades has produced stacks of science and engineering studies, created a sprawling bureaucracy and burned though $7 billion or so of taxpayer money. But it hasn't restored much of anything. That's the conclusion of a National Research Council progress report on the Everglades released Monday. It finds that while the great marsh and its wildlife continue to decline, projects intended to revive the River of Grass have been tied up in red tape, interagency turf battles, budget shortfalls and waffling political support. Construction runs years behind schedule and billions over budget.... "Portions of the ecosystem are close to thresholds that, if they continue to deteriorate, it will be too late." ...


Is this a harbinger of how we'll go about restoring the earth?

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You're still reading! Good for you!
You really should read our short, funny, frightening book FREE online (or buy a print copy):
Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies!
We've been quipping this stuff for more than 30 months! Every day!
Which might explain why we don't get invited to parties anymore.
Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from Nairobi East African:
Africa: Climate Change May Lead to New Diseases
African countries must work together to mitigate the health impacts of global warming to avoid a "continental disaster," climate and health experts who met recently in Nairobi have said. According to the experts, climate change will lead to the emergence of new infections and the spread of old ones, further straining cash-strapped public health systems. ...


And the meek shall be consumed by the earth.

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from American Society of Agronomy:
Experiment Demonstrates 110 Years of Sustainable Agriculture
A plot of land on the campus of Auburn University shows that 110 years of sustainable farming practices can produce similar cotton crops to those using other methods. In 1896, Professor J.F. Duggar at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn University) started an experiment to test his theories that sustainable cotton production was possible on Alabama soils if growers would use crop rotation and include winter legumes (clovers and/or vetch) to protect the soil from winter erosion. ...


I've got an idea: let's try this on a large scale!

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from London Daily Guardian:
Meat must be rationed to four portions a week, says report on climate change
People will have to be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week if the world is to avoid run-away climate change, a major new report warns. The report, by the Food Climate Research Network, based at the University of Surrey, also says total food consumption should be reduced, especially "low nutritional value" treats such as alcohol, sweets and chocolates. ...


I've been taught all my life to consume everything I have the slightest desire for. And now you want me to change?

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from University of Rochester, via EurekAlert:
When particles are so small that they seep right through skin
... [S]ome nanoparticles are so small that they can actually seep through skin, especially when the skin has been damaged. The health implications of nanoparticles in the body are uncertain, said DeLouise, an assistant professor of Dermatology and Biomedical Engineering and an expert on the properties of nanoparticles. Other scientists have found that the particles can accumulate in the lymph system, the liver, the nervous system, and in other areas of the body. In her study, she found that the particles accumulate around the hair follicles and in tiny skin folds. ...


Why can't nanoparticles seep out of the body, too?

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from New Zealand Herald:
NZ firm to microwave forest waste into charcoal
A New Zealand company which says it has patented world-first industrial technology to microwave forest waste is planning to offer charcoal to farmers and horticulturists who want to boost the quality of their soils. The technology can capture significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and hold it for 10,000 years by putting the charcoal into topsoils, and at the same time improve plant growth. The company, Carbonscape, has begun initial batch scale production of the "biochar" at its Marlborough plant. ...


Let's hope they're not burning coal to power the microwaves.

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from Associated Press:
Nation's first greenhouse gas auction nets $38.5M
ALBANY, N.Y.—The nation's first cap-and-trade greenhouse gas auction raised nearly $40 million that will be spent by Northeast states on renewable and energy efficient technologies. Under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, all fossil fuel-burning power plants in a 10-state region are required to buy credits to cover the carbon they emit. The results of the first of a series of quarterly auctions were released Monday. The initiative is viewed as a possible model for a national program to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas blamed for global warming. ...


Sold!

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Tue, Sep 30, 2008
from TravelVideo.tv:
Dubai warns beachgoers to stay out of sea
Dubai authorities and doctors have warned beachgoers to stay out of the sea as illegally dumped sewage has contaminated parts of the emirate’s shoreline, according to published reports. The sewage has blackened the waters surrounding Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, close to Jumeirah Open Beach, and further up the coast in the same area.... Keith Mutch, general manager of Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, which has had to suspend its operations for the past two weeks, said that the area had been completely ruined by the sewage. "It's become like a big toilet, with black colored water floating all around. A number of our members have developed skin rashes, eye and ear infections after coming into contact with the waters," he said. ...


Dubai, jewel of the commode.

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Mon, Sep 29, 2008
from USA Today:
No driveway carwashes, Wash. state says
Along with wild salmon and steelhead trout, the Pacific Northwest soon may have another endangered species -- the driveway carwash. Washing your car or boat in the driveway or street is a residential ritual as American as backyard barbecues. But the state of Washington is telling its local governments they must prohibit home car washing unless residents divert the wash water away from storm drains, where they say it causes water pollution. ...


Now that's what I call sacrifice!

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Mon, Sep 29, 2008
from Chicago Tribune:
Chicago's toxic air
People living in Chicago and nearby suburbs face some of the highest risks in the nation for cancer, lung disease and other health problems linked to toxic chemicals pouring from industry smokestacks, according to a Tribune analysis of federal data.... the Tribune is posting the information on its Web site, where users can easily find nearby polluters and the chemicals going into their air... The Tribune also found Chicago was among the 10 worst cities in the U.S. ...


My kind of town ... to wear a respirator!

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Mon, Sep 29, 2008
from Times Online (UK):
Freecycle: the big green giveaway
If you haven't already come across Freecycle, the online recycling network - one of the biggest green initiatives of the past decade - it is a global network of message boards, with more than 450 groups in the UK. The beauty of it is that it transforms one person's trash into another's treasure. You sign up to your local group, where you can post messages to say what you're offering, or looking for. No money changes hands and it's up to the person who wants an item to collect it, so you don't have to stress about how you're going to heave an unwanted futon out of your home. ...


The Docs give this a big thumbs-up. The downside, of course, is the collapse of the consumer culture.

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Mon, Sep 29, 2008
from McGill Daily (Canada):
Plastic poison resists regulation
It runs in the blood of almost every person in the world. The chemical is Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen that has been used in plastics for decades and interferes with fetal development. In mice it can change the structure of genitalia, reverse sexual differences in the brain, and increase susceptibility to prostate and breast cancers. And although it may cause heart disease and diabetes in humans, few seem to care.... Canada labelled BPA as toxic earlier this year, a designation that allows ministers to regulate its use. Baby bottles containing BPA were banned, and many drink companies took bottles containing BPA off the shelves. So far, no other country has followed suit. ...


O, Canada! With glowing hearts we see thee rise...

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Mon, Sep 29, 2008
from Bandon Western World (OR):
Mussels and scallops harvesting closure
People hoping to gather mussels and scallops on the South Coast will have to wait until the Oregon Department of Agriculture ends a harvesting closure. The ODA put a closure into effect last Thursday for recreational mussel harvesting from the California border north to, and including, Bastendorff Beach, due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning. The ban is for mussels on all beaches, rocks, jetties and at the entrances to bays, a press release said. Coastal scallops also are included in the closure. Only the adductor muscle should be eaten from scallops harvested on the coast. Crabs are not impacted by this level of toxin and are safe to eat. ...


I'm crabby about scary scallops.

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Mon, Sep 29, 2008
from Globe and Mail (Canada):
Nurseries replenishing B.C.'s forests wither on the vine
This year she grew a crop of 22 million young trees, which she harvested and sent off to market. Logging companies bought those seedlings and so did tree-planting contractors. With British Columbia's forests in a massive die-off because of a pine beetle infestation, Ms. Dawes's agri-business should be thriving. But it isn't. It is struggling to survive because of a downturn in the forest industry -- and because the federal government no longer recognizes silviculture as farming.... Silviculture operators, who until then had been covered by CAIS, thought they would simply join other farmers in a smooth transition to the new programs. Then they found out that not only had they lost their status as farmers - but they also had to pay back any funds they'd been given under CAIS, dating back to 2003. ...


When bureaucracy confronts changing reality, sometimes there is, er, a disconnect.

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