“Well, whup-de-doo. 4th and 8th grade math scores are up two points, according to the National Assessment on Educational Progress, a venture of the U.S. Department of Education’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ program. Nevermind that they’re still scoring well below 300 on a test scale that goes to 500. I wonder if the Education folks […]
“Britain will begin phasing out energy-guzzling incandescent lightbulbs early next year in favor of low energy varieties as part of its battle against climate change, the environment ministry said on Thursday. The aim of the as yet voluntary deal with the major makers, retailers and energy utilities is to cut up to five million tonnes […]
“For the first time in 16 years, a major environmental conference opens in Washington, hosted by the Bush administration. But no concrete results are expected, and that — say European participants — is the point of this high-level meeting. Far from representing a Damascene conversion on climate change by President George Bush, the two-day gathering […]
“‘Backs against the wall’ is not a scientific measurement, but it’s right where we are on global warming. It’s the vernacular translation for when the National Snow and Ice Data Center reports that this year the summer Arctic sea ice shrunk to the smallest area ever recorded, about 460,000 square miles less than the previous […]
“Communities along the Gulf Coast are moving to banish the government-issued trailers that house tens of thousands of people whose homes were destroyed by the devastating hurricanes in 2005. Those cities and parishes are shutting down impromptu trailer parks set up after the disaster, telling homeowners they either must show progress rebuilding or get rid […]
“NASA’s rover Opportunity has reached its first stop inside a huge Martian crater and was poised Thursday to carry out the first science experiments. Ground controllers planned to send commands late in the day to the six-wheel robot to examine bright rock layers arranged like a bathtub ring within Victoria Crater.” (09/27/07)
“Mountaineering authorities in Nepal want to ban nudity and ‘obscene record’ bids on Mount Everest. A Nepali climber claimed the world’s highest display of nudity on the world’s highest mountain last year. He disrobed for several minutes on the 29,035ft summit in temperatures about -10C, reports Metro. ‘There should be strict regulations to discourage such […]
“With this week’s application to build a new nuclear plant — the first such filing in nearly 30 years — the industry says the US is on the verge of a nuclear power renaissance. With virtually no greenhouse-gas emissions, reactors are touted as part of the solution to global warming. Over the next 15 months, […]
“There won’t be any galloping or neighing in Natalie Linders’ back yard. The Arden Hills City Council voted unanimously on Monday night to deny the 10-year-old city resident’s request to classify miniature horses as domestic animals so she could keep one in her yard. Natalie began her campaign to change the city’s zoning code about […]
“If you’re tracking the nuclear power revival in America, last Tuesday, September 25, was a milestone. For the first time since 1973, a new application for building a reactor was placed before the federal government. The applicant was NRG Energy, Inc., an 18-year-old ‘merchant’ corporation headquartered in New Jersey’s Princeton Corridor. A one-story steel-and-glass structure […]
