Sunday, April 26, 2009
Heart Attack Victim Dies After Paramedics Force Him to Walk Down Stairs
Climate Change Deniers' Own Scientists Said Global Warming Was Real
From Treehugger:
photo: Jesse Yardly
The New York Times has broken the story that even as far back as 1995, a few years after climate change denier the Global Climate Coalition began lobbying against doing anything about climate change (read: anything that might hurt their backers = industries which will get the short end of the stick as we cut carbon emissions), their own scientific advisors told them that global warming was real:
An internal report from 1995 said,
The scientific basis for the Greenhouse Effect and the potential impact of human emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 on climate change is well established and cannot be denied.
William O'Keefe (who was leader of the Global Climate Coalition at the time) was asked by the Times why there was such a gap between their public campaign—which stressed that the uncertainties regarding climate science were such that a cautious approach was the best thing—and that of their own advisors. O'Keefe said that the leadership of the Coalition was not aware of such a gap existing.
The Global Climate Coalition was disbanded in 2002. William O'Keefe is now chairman of the Marshall Institute, another group which opposes mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
via: The New York Times: Industry Ignored Scientists on Climate
Yangtze Alligator Population May Be on the Upswing
Only 120 Yangtze alligators live in the wild. The Yangtze River, the alligators' natural habitat, is so polluted that the ecological damage has been called "largely irreversible." Poaching is another obstacle to the reptiles' recovery. The alligators are considered a delicacy, and the meat is thought to cure colds and cancer. In 2006, with only 150 specimens in the wild, farm-raised Yangtze alligators were still being served in restaurants. Things looked bleak for the world's most endangered crocodilian species.
But despite these insurmountable odds, the alligators have been marshaling a comeback.
A Riddle
The letter "E"
Sort of a surprise
OK, so to we Scots in the U.S., it isn't surprising - there are more Scots living in North America (mainly in North Carolina in the United States and Nova Scotia, Canada) than in Scotland itself.
Real reason for '100 days' to judge presidents
Like all U.S. leaders before him, Barack Obama's first 100 days could predict his presidency.Real reason for '100 days' to judge presidents
Also:
America's most dangerous cities
These five metropolitan areas see more violent crimes per capita than any other place in the U.S.America's most dangerous cities
Also:
Prize-winning underwater photography
The winning images from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School's Underwater Photography Contest 2009 include a whitetip shark, boxer crabs, and a pygmy seahorse.
These crabs live on hard coral and, to defend themselves, carry small anemones in their claws. The crabs wave stinging tentacles in the faces of predators.
This photograph by Marchione Giacomo won the best overall prize.
Via: New Scientist
Raindrops splash before they hit the ground
Liquid droplets splashing against a surface are actually bouncing off a tiny cushion of air, rather than the surface itself.Raindrops splash before they hit the ground
Get the Swine flu: Thank the repugicans
"As public health professionals they [CDC officials] are doing a heroic job, but they depend on DHHS [Department of Health & Human Services], of which they are a part, for building government-to-government relationships. those relationships suffered badly during the Bush years, with the result that Mexico had a better and more comfortable connection with canada than the u.s. so why hasn't the Obama administration righted the problem? Because, among other things, there is still no secretary of DHHS. Obama's nominee, the highly capable administrator Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius, has had her confirmation held up by republican ideologues playing abortion politics.
If ever there was a time when we needed strong leadership at dhhs, this is it. playing politics has consequences."
Oletra in back
Procter & Gamble, the company that makes Olestra (brand name Olean), is now using Olestra-like chemicals to make Eco-friendly paints and lubricants.
The new product line is called Sefose (you didn't think they would call it Olestra, did you?), and provides a "cost-competitive sustainable alternative to petrochemicals in various applications," according to the P&G EB site.
Rising seas threaten renowned French coast
Now climate change has laid siege to this natural oasis, dramatically speeding up the erosion of the 168 mile long Atlantic coastline and threatening local communities.
More here.
Georgia profesor suspected in shootings leaves no trail
U.S. public health emergency over swine flu
The declaration means authorities will prepare for swine flu like they do for hurricanes.
Public health emergency
Also:
The Economy will get a lot worse
The Economist says it's going to get a lot worse, for a long, long time, before it gets better.
From The Economist:
Thanks to massive--and unsustainable--fiscal and monetary transfusions, output will eventually stabilize. But in many ways, darker days lie ahead. Despite the scale of the slump, no conventional recovery is in sight. Growth, when it comes, will be too feeble to stop unemployment rising and idle capacity swelling. And for years most of the world's economies will depend on their governments.Consider what that means. Much of the rich world will see jobless rates that reach double-digits, and then stay there. Deflation--a devastating disease in debt-laden economies--could set in as record economic slack pushes down prices and wages, particularly since headline inflation has already plunged thanks to sinking fuel costs. Public debt will soar because of weak growth, prolonged stimulus spending and the growing costs of cleaning up the financial mess. The OECD's member countries began the crisis with debt stocks, on average, at 75% of GDP; by 2010 they will reach 100%. One analysis suggests persistent weakness could push the biggest economies' debt ratios to 140% by 2014. Continuing joblessness, years of weak investment and higher public-debt burdens, in turn, will dent economies' underlying potential. Although there is no sign that the world economy will return to its trend rate of growth any time soon, it is already clear that this speed limit will be lower than before the crisis hit.
From the American perspective there are glimmers of hope alright - granted most are very dim, but they are there.
The reality that the economic depression we are in is nowhere near bottom is also there.
One of the brightest glimmers is we have a Democrat in the White House and Democrats control Congress and when that happens the economy booms ... of course with the repugicans having so utterly destroyed the economy a boom will bring it back to level.
And this time when it does return to level and begins to grow again we will not forget what the repugicans did to fuck it up in the first place and we will not allow them access to do it over again as they have every time they have stolen access (they have never won a legitimate election and they never will - they do not have the numbers for it ... never have had the numbers and never will).
Landlord harasses murder victim's mother for early termination fees because her son was killed before his lease ran out
Danelle Eckert, the mother of Colin Byars, a 24-year-old teacher who died after being punched in the head, is being harassed by Colin's former landlord, who wants to impose an "early termination" fee on her because her son died before his lease ran out.
The landlord is CCRT Properties in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
She said the apartment's property manager told her that they knew Byars had been killed. But the woman told Eckert the management company had been advised by their legal representative that they should go after the rent and fees.
"I said you might be able to do this, but should you do this?" Eckert said. The early termination fee makes her especially angry. "How was my son supposed to know he was going to be killed?" she asked.
Byars was a popular young special education teacher and coach at McKinley Middle School. He was in his first year as a full-time teacher after graduating from college. He died when, according to witnesses, he got into a dispute outside a tavern and was struck in the head. The man who hit him, Martin Walker, has been charged with murder.
Pill in NY fast-food meal was painkiller
Nassau County police say a pill that turned up in a kid's meal at a Long Island Burger King was a common painkiller.
Man Denies Tattooing 7-Year-Old Boy
A Fresno man charged with tattooing a gang insignia on a 7-year-boy while the father held him has pleaded not guilty.
All that is fine and dandy ... my question is what is the 'father' charged with?
Bizarre Japanese Game Show
It seems the Japanese really do have a TV show for everything. Even getting ready for work becomes a game! The idea of this program seems to be to prepare yourself for work in less than five minutes.
So! They're all bizarre in my book
Pilot suspended after landing at wrong airport
An airline which is banned from flying to Europe has this week announced that it has suspended a pilot and co-pilot who landed at the wrong airport in Lusaka, Zambia.
Dinosaurs near the North Pole?
Scientists find a stash of dinosaur bones north of the Arctic Circle, leading some to question a popular extinction theory.Dinosaurs near the North Pole?
Also:
Unusual Holidays and Celebrations
It is also Richter Scale Day.
What those two have in common - I have no idea.
But, anyway ... Hugs to our Aussie readers.
Our Readers
Munich, Bayern, Germany
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Jalandhar, Punjab, India
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Strasbourg, Alsace, France
Solingen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, germany
London, England, United Kingdom
Genoa, Liguria, Italy
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Diegem, Barbant, Belgium
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India
Sollentuna, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile
Hettstedt, Sachen-Anhalt, Germany
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Quebec, Quebec, Canada
Plymouth, England, United Kingdom
as well as wales, Scotland, Brazil and the United States
Daily Horoscope
You'll start seeing everything in a more positive light -- and start feeling very content.
OK, but I thought I was seeing things in a more positive light and was very content.
One can always improve, though.
