Unfortunately, I only got to catch the tail end of the Environmental Justice for All solidarity event up here in Seattle on Saturday. I missed the tour though ... 'cause I got lost. Hey, I'm new here, OK? But as the national tour drew to a close, it was good to see activity up in our corner as well. The event, hosted by the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, led folks on a tour of some of the most polluted areas here in the generally-conceived-of-as-green city of Seattle. South Seattle neighborhoods deal with a disproportionate number of environmental woes, including …

Thanks to Matt over at TPM's Election Central for pointing this one out. Check out this recent ad from the Tennessee senatorial race: "AND OWNS SIX SUVS!"

The Environmental Justice for All tour plugs onward at a breakneck pace, weaving through Albany and Hartford yesterday and up to Boston today. More videos online today. Cameraman Jeremy Levine checked in from the bus somewhere between those locations last night. He was particularly struck with the story of homeowners in Endicott, N.Y. The town of about 13,000 people is known as the birthplace of the company that later became IBM. Today, toxic compounds leaked from the plant continue to destroy the health of the community. Investigation into the extent of the contamination is ongoing. One person they interviewed there …

We get all sorts of interesting press releases here. Some informative, some less-informative, others amusing and random. According to this one, today marks the 25th anniversary of the rediscovery of the black-footed ferret. It came with a complete history of the ferret, as well as charts, graphs, and contact information for prominent ferret experts. The black-footed ferret, which is the only species of ferret native to the United States, was believed to be extinct back in 1979, after the last known ferret died in captivity. But on September 26, 1981, a fortuitous run-in with a ranch dog led investigators to …

This week, environmental justice activists are travelling the country with the Environmental Justice For All Tour to call national attention to sites of ecological and public-health concern in the nation's poorest communities. Stops include both major metropolitan and rural areas, most of which are communities of color and low-income communities disproportionately affected by toxic contamination in their air, water, and soil. In San Jose, Calif., employees toil in carcinogen-laden factories. In Dickson, Tenn., waste from a nearby landfill seeps into a community's wells. And in Syracuse, N.Y., a woman stands up to a city government that would evict her in …

China is positioning itself to take the lead in world rose production. Government leaders hope investing in the flower industry will bring capital and jobs to southwestern China, and florists in the U.S. see it as an opportunity to obtain cheaper products, thereby increasing profits. Workers in the burgeoning rose industry are mostly young women, earning an average of $25 per month, which the NYT article at least points out. Missing from the piece, though, is any thought to the health, labor, and environmental effects of the flower industry, or to how China's flower project could engage with fairer standards. …

According to a report in today's Times-Picayune, the state of Louisiana has pledged half a million dollars to replace trees on a private golf course damaged by Hurricane Katrina last year. The expenditure was buried in the budget state legislators passed last spring, and is listed as a "forestry program for the planting of trees and other native plants." This comes after the state spent $13 million to subsidize the construction of the Tournament Players Club in the first place. "It's important to show that this course is in first-class condition" when the Zurich Classic professional tournament is played there …

Meant to get this one up yesterday but failed. Anyhoo, scientists are hailing the recent unearthing of a fossilized human-like child in Ethiopia. The child, estimated to have been about three years old at the time of her death about 3.3 million years ago, is from the Australopithecus afarensis species. This important human ancestor is the same species as "Lucy," the adult skeleton found in the same region in 1974. Scientists are pleased by the remarkable fact that some of her more delicate bones, not generally preserved in fossilization, remain intact. Also remarkable is the fact that her brain -- …

California Rep. Richard Pombo weighs in on mouse debate in Colorado? Further evidence that this isn't really about a mouse at all, but rather the business interests at stake in protecting crucial habitats. And Pombo's appearance is an election-year bid to reassure property-rights advocates that he will be steadfast in his support for a bill de-clawing the Endangered Species Act. Have I mentioned yet that the 3-inch Preble's meadow jumping mouse can jump 18 inches high? Boing!

Rather than, you know, letting science decide this sort of stuff, Canada's most well-known climate-change skeptic is taking opponents to court. The case revolves around a letter to the editor that he claims was a "malicious attack" on his credibility. Tim Ball has made a name for himself as an outspoken challenger to the overwhelmingly accepted (especially in Canada) consensus that humans are causing global climate change. He authored an opinion piece on global warming for the Calgary Herald last April which drew at least one letter to the editor questioning his credentials. The op-ed described Ball as the first …