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Terror alert level green!

The first 'graph of this Post-Gazette story really says it all:

The [Pennsylvania] state House approved a measure yesterday to impose harsh penalties against "eco-terrorists," even though legislators sharply disagreed on what types of activity constituted eco-terrorism.

Response to “Death”: Part IV

Today comes Part IV of Ken Ward's response to "The Death of Environmentalism," in which he argues that some of The Reapers' ire -- nay, most of it -- should have been reserved for environmental funders. The narrow focus, political ineptitude, and technocratic fixes come not from the environmental advocacy groups, he says, but from the foundations that fund them.

Good stuff today. (An edited version of this installment appears today in Soapbox.)

Don't forget to read Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part V.

A Plastic Only an Industry Group Could Love

Anti-PVC movement grows, even as PVC use rises A growing coalition of scientists, public-health advocates, environmentalists, and even corporations is fighting to rid the world of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Some 300 billion pounds of PVC are in use worldwide, and 7 billion pounds are discarded each year in the U.S. alone, says the Center for […]

The Phony Express

Falsified Yucca documents lead to investigation of project’s science The use of fabricated sources in a study about the safety of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste dump — revealed in a series of emails between scientists — has Energy and Interior Department officials scrambling to investigate. The U.S. Geological Survey study was critical to the […]

The Curious Incident of the Mercury in the School Yard

Study suggests mercury and autism linked Higher levels of mercury in the environment may be linked to higher rates of autism, a study of Texas school districts found. Districts with the highest rates of autism and special-education students also had the most mercury in the air and water, researchers discovered. They caution that the study […]

Murder by Numbers

Environmental funders share blame for movement’s weak pulse Much of the debate over the alleged “death of environmentalism” has centered on the narrow focus, tech-oriented solutions, and political ineptitude of big environmental organizations. Oddly omitted from these discussions is the way environmental foundations and funders perpetuate these problems and hamstring the movement. Longtime activist Ken […]

Slainte

The Chicago River is a ripe shade of green right about now. The city is famous for its tradition of dyeing the river green for St. Patty's Day, a practice that began in 1962 when city pollution-control workers used dyes to track illegal sewage discharges and realized it could make for a fun holiday event. Although back in '62 they used some 100 pounds of green vegetable dye to do it -- which kept the river green for a week! -- the city now limits it to 40 pounds of the stuff, keeping it green for just a few hours.

Hoping to start a tradition of their own, restaurateurs in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., this year had planned to dye the New River green for a St. Patrick's Day festival, but Broward County environmental regulators pooh-poohed the idea, saying it violated local water-quality rules. Officials worried about the dye's effects on the endangered West Indian manatee and other environmental treasures in the area.

When party promoters pushed the idea, arguing that the dye is non-toxic, Mayor Kristin Jacobs retorted with a suggestion that the festival organizers dye themselves green by drinking the chemicals if they were indeed so safe. The party planners must not have been interested, as the new plan is limited to dyeing fountains at the Las Olas Riverfront and offering special "Green River Water" drinks. Yum.

Like a bat out of hell

Every once in a while I like to take a break to appreciate wacky ol' nature. Last time it was upside-down pandas peeing on trees. This time: vampire bats running on treadmills.

Yes, it turns out vampire bats can run on all fours, an evolutionary trait that comes in handy as they prey on hapless victims. Being able to hop and run is useful "when you're a bat slurping cow blood, because cows are heavy and can kick or roll over and squash a bat," explains Cornell University researcher Daniel Riskin, who reported the findings in the latest issue of Nature.

What fascinates me almost more than the image of sprinting bats: the fact that people get paid to watch.

Link-o-rama!

I want to write about everything. Sadly, being a mere mortal, I can't. So here's a big fat set of links to stuff that I haven't been able to get to in the last week or so. Handle with care.

Hegel, and I don’t mean Chuck

The other day I pointed to a Dave Pollard post in which he argued with himself, eerily echoing an argument I find myself having with, uh, myself, frequently. Commenters immediately seemed to select the "right" side of the argument and condemn the other. They saw an either/or and picked a winner -- which was not at all my reaction.