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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 […]

Thoughts on surviving life after Brood Awakenings

The perfect ending is a gorgeous thing, all the loose ends neatly knotted, all the confusion gone. It’s a motionless bird on a wire — calm, brightly plumed, contented, with no need to fly off or find a worm or do anything but sit in the sun and enjoy the day. Illustration: Keri Rosebraugh If […]

U.S. agencies don’t prioritize public in toxin-affected communities

The U.S. Department of Energy found high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide in the soil of suburban Versailles, Pa., and has neglected to inform local officials. The U.S. EPA was lackadaisical about cleaning up toxic paint sludge left by automaker Ford in Trenton, N.J., and disregarded complaints from the community. Luckily, those failures of the […]

Unmanned space missions will free up more cash for scientific research

A few days ago, I blogged on NASA's insane and delusional plans to build a manned base on the Moon. My point was not that this is intrinsically a bad idea, but rather that we will never spend the money required to do this ... so money spent now is basically wasted.

Eleven new plant and animal species identified in Vietnam, face uncertain future

Eleven new species of plants and animals have been identified in Vietnam in the Thua Thien Hue province. The species — a snake, two butterflies, five orchids (three of them leafless), and three other plants — are believed to be exclusive to the country, but unfortunately their futures already look bleak. “All these species are […]

Cycling group Critical Mass celebrates 15th anniversary, keeps on pedaling

The cycling group Critical Mass turns 15 years old this month! It all began in San Francisco in September 1992 as a bunch of bike commuters getting together for a ride, and quickly turned into a global cycling phenomenon with chapters in most major cities worldwide, as well as many smaller locales. The last Friday […]

New study shows turtle populations on the decline

Loggerhead sea turtle nesting subpopulations in the North Atlantic are on the decline, according to a new study released by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The study, a five-year status review for loggerhead sea turtles required by the Endangered Species Act, confirms what Oceana has been telling the federal government all along.

If there is to be any real chance for restoring sea turtle populations, the federal government is going to have to take major steps to protect sea turtles from commercial fishing gear, including increased time and area closures and increased monitoring on commercial fishing fleets.

Over 500,000 more toys recalled due to lead

Another round of recalls was issued yesterday for over 500,000 children’s toys or accessories that were found to exceed allowable lead levels, including more Thomas the Tank Engine paraphernalia and the now conspicuously gloomy Happy Giddy Gardening Tools from Target. Federal regulators were quick to point out that this recall won’t be the last. “After […]

Brad Pitt pledges $5 million for green homes in New Orleans

At the third annual Clinton Global Initiative philanthropic soiree yesterday, actor Brad Pitt pledged $5 million in matching funds to build about 150 green homes in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, one of the most troubled areas in the city. “We’re going to help make it right with 150 sustainable, affordable houses — houses […]