Uncategorized

Friday music blogging: Ryan Adams

I wasn’t much into the alt country thing until I met my wife. I’m still not the huge fan she is, but I’ve found a lot of stuff in the vicinity I enjoy. By far the biggest discovery for me was Whiskeytown, which made some flawless, classic albums back in the ’90s. (Get Faithless Street […]

Canada announces protections for Lake Superior

Canada will protect nearly 4,000 square miles of Lake Superior and its northern shores, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday. The announcement creates the world’s largest freshwater marine protected area; no word on how the shrinkage of Lake Superior will affect that record.

U.N. report says world environment doing quite poorly

Just in case you thought the world’s environment might be doing well, the United Nations Environment Program released a comprehensive 550-page, 5-year report this week declaring that things are officially not OK, environment-wise. The UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook attempted to strike that rare balance between cataloguing the world’s substantial eco-ills without making the situation seem […]

Tell BioD what car to buy

My beater has passed 170,000 miles. I couldn't get the key to turn the other day, and the steering column wouldn't lock.

Found a butterfly on my computer screen this morning

I found a butterfly sitting on my computer screen this morning. I have no idea how it got there, and I'm pretty sure it isn't from around here. My guess is that a chrysalis may have gotten mixed in with some chicken feed that is stored in my basement.

Photos of species threatened by climate change

The following photos and excerpt — highlighting the threats posed to animals and plants by climate change — are drawn from Gary Braasch’s new book Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming Is Changing the World, published by the University of California Press, © 2007. Featuring more than 100 photographs, Earth Under Fire shows species, cultures, […]

Kosher salt from recycled batteries

This just in from the St. Louis Business Journal: "Salt extracted from batteries earns kosher approval." Details below:

Quote of the day

On the heavily polluted town of Port Arthur, Tex.: "This city is not going to change. It is a refinery town — tomorrow, next year, 100 years from now. It will always be a petrochemical area," says Ortiz. And if its residents are getting sick from the pollution? Well, says Ortiz: "We’ve all got to […]

Study of fossil record predicts climate change could fuel mass extinction

Photo: iStockphoto Climate change may fuel a mass extinction in which half of all plant and animal species could — how to put this delicately? — exit stage left, according to a new study. If the past 520 million years of fossil records are any predictor of the future, a globally warmed world will not […]

Mining-law reform bill could change rules for mines on public land

Just 135 years after its enactment, environmentalists and fiscal conservatives may finally have a shot at reforming an antiquated U.S. law that lets mining companies dig up minerals and precious metals on public lands without paying royalties nor being responsible for post-dig cleanups. A bill to change the 1872 General Mining Law passed the House […]