Archive for March, 2006

CA: Condors spotted nesting in Big Sur

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“For the first time in more than 100 years, California condors were spotted nesting in the northern part of the state, scientists said. The condor couple was found Monday displaying typical nesting behavior inside a hollowed-out redwood tree in Big Sur, a mountainous coastal region south of Monterey, the Ventana Wildlife Society said Tuesday. […]

Slum like it not

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“Slums begin with bad geology. The shantytown periphery of Johannesburg, South Africa, for example, conforms unerringly to a belt of dangerous, unstable dolomitic soil contaminated by generations of mining. At least half of the region’s nonwhite population lives in informal settlements in areas of toxic waste and chronic ground collapse. Likewise, the highly weathered lateritic […]

Sound science is not enough

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“For 20 years our approach to environmental dangers has been shaped by the precautionary principle, aiming to preserve the natural world and minimise the risks of adverse changes. It has brought successes, for example in restoring ozone in the polar stratosphere and cleaning up acid rain in Europe and North America, but on other issues, […]

The real news about green marketing

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“Old news : green products don’t work and consumers won’t pay a premium for them. New news : investment in environmentally-preferable products and technologies can lead to a potent new source of innovation and competitive advantage. Take heed! Contrary to what many marketers may think, environmental marketing appeals are growing in number. The U.S. Environmental […]

Good news swept under the rug on Earth Day

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“To gain insight into the unfounded environmental scares the Chicken Littles will be pronouncing on Earth Day, all we need do is reexamine some of the environmental scares trumpeted in the past. The human overpopulation scare of the 1960s has been ongoing for 40 years. Global human population is expected to continue growing until the […]

Nothing but gas

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“The United States needs to import more natural gas. Andean countries have plenty to sell. A bunch of politicians are standing in the way. What is the result? A missed opportunity to both boost the economies of the Andean countries and further diversify U.S. energy sources, as well as to enhance hemispheric relations, making Latin […]

Contraception in the crosshairs

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“In March, Wal-Mart announced that it would carry Emergency Contraception (EC) — commercially sold as Plan B — for the first time in the seven years that the drug has been on the market. Reproductive rights activists around the nation lauded the decision both as a step forward for women’s access to reproductive technology and […]

The collapse of primary care

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“Health care in the United States is like a house riddled with termites. On the outside, everything looks fine: Gleaming hospital towers punctuate the skyline; MRI machines produce stunning images; and surgeons use robots to work miracles. But underneath the surface, the foundation is starting to sag: Tens of millions of people have no health […]

Health coverage should be above politics

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“Some things at the Tennessee General Assembly should be above politics. In our edition today, we detail how some Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly believe facets of the governor’s ‘Cover Tennessee’ plan are unclear. The plan seeks to expand health insurance coverage in Tennessee for the state’s uninsurable residents. In addition, Sen. Mae Beavers […]

Fighting bans in the name of personal responsibility

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

“This week we caught wind of a battle emerging in California that has made-for-TV-movie written all over it. In it, a ragtag band of high schools students — led by the affable Rocky Slaughter (who would of course be played by washed-up C-list PETA celeb Edward Furlong) — grapples with the unstoppable robotic power of […]