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China relocates Tibetan herders in interest of environment

Ugh: China is ordering 100,000 ethnic Tibetans to give up their traditional nomadic habits and settle in towns because their way of life is threatening the environment, state press reported Tuesday. Glaciers in the province where the herders live are an initial source for both the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers; somehow we imagine that the […]

On Oct. 17, Grist is throwing a bash in Seattle — you’re invited

Our reader parties in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are the stuff of legend, but they’ve caused our hometown peeps to struggle with some rejection issues. Why all this jet-setting across the country and no love for the Emerald City? We heard your cries, hometown peeps. So we’re having a blowout right here in Seattle […]

Always offer full-content RSS feeds

Warning: the following post is geeky. It’s about RSS feed options. Read only if you are fascinated by things like RSS feed options. These days, virtually every blog or news site offers one or more RSS feeds. RSS is still consumed by a fairly small sliver of the audience, but it’s a high-information, socially networked, […]

Hansen’s response to a claim that he accepted money from George Soros

I don't know how NASA's James Hansen keeps up his pace of writing -- or how he puts up with the steady stream of disinformation launched against him. I am not trying to create a cult of personality around him, but I do feel under some obligation to give his writing as much attention as possible -- as I think he has done more than any other scientist to raise awareness on climate change, and deserves our thanks, not slander.

"The latest swift-boating," Hansen explains in a new post (PDF), "is the whacko claim that I received $720,000.00 from George Soros." Here is a smear from Investors Business Daily, of all places -- I have no idea why investors would be interested in such drivel -- which migrated over to the conservative websight NewsBusters in an article titled, "Is Global Warming Alarmist James Hansen a Shill for George Soros?"

Hansen explains, "Here is the real deal, with the order of things, as well as I can remember without wasting even more time digging into papers and records":

President of Nature Conservancy resigns

The subhead doth not mislead you: The president of the Nature Conservancy, Steven McCormick, has abruptly resigned.

Bluefin tuna population in Mediterranean declining, sushi blamed

The population of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea is plummeting and could be seeing the start of a collapse, warn experts from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna and the World Wildlife Fund. High-end sushi restaurants in Japan fuel demand for premium catches of the fish, which can net some $15,000 […]

More toys recalled due to lead, Critical Mass celebrates 15th anniversary, and more

Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: McCain on the Record Every Momentum Counts D.C. Comical Connecting the DOT Total Recall Sweet 15 Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Cookin’ It Old School Simple Gifts You Missed a Spot Grist is pleased to announce that we are the […]

Umbra on household help and homemade cleansers

Dear Umbra, I recently moved in with my investment-banker boyfriend. So far, my efforts to teach him to have more fun with less stuff have been largely successful; however, I’ve hit a roadblock when it comes to his cleaning lady. My first question, Umbra, is this: what are the social and ecological implications of hiring […]

U.S. Navy must notify N.C.-based Marines of exposure to contaminated water

Some 1 million Marines stationed at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune between 1958 and 1987 drank, cooked with, and showered in toxic water; under a defense reauthorization bill amendment recently approved by the Senate, the U.S. Navy would be required to, um, let them know. The federal government closed the base’s wells in the mid-’80s after […]

Friday music blogging: Band of Horses

I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed an album embraced so unreservedly and immediately by so many indie fans as Everything All the Time, the 2006 Sub Pop debut from Band of Horses. Three of the founding members — Ben Bridwell, Matt Brooke, and Creighton Barrett — were in the “quiet core” band Carissa’s Wierd, but […]