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In Greece, 170 fires burning, 37 dead, and government shaken

Over 170 fires are now burning in Greece. Mostly they are wildfires in the hills, but yesterday a fire broke out in Athens itself that required ten engines to quell. Thirty-seven have been killed, including several firefighters.

The prime minister has called the disaster "an unspeakable tragedy."

Temps reached 42 degrees Celsius, or about 108 degrees Fahrenheit, in Athens, according to the Associated Press.

The fires have been burning for weeks, and the conservative government has been bitterly criticized for its weak effort against them, reports the BBC. The death toll jumped from 28 to 37 overnight.

(photo: foivosloxias, licensed under Creative Commons)

Firefighters, too, have died, including the two in this plane, which slammed into a mountain after dropping a load of retardants on a wildfire in Evia.

New species naming rights on the auction block

Do I hear a bid for naming the walking shark — the walking shark? Or the flasher wrasse, or the lionfish? Do I hear a bid? I’m looking for a bidder, a bidder who wants to name these fish. These new species have never been named — do I hear a new name, a new […]

Friday music blogging: Rilo Kiley

Rilo Kiley is at the center of the Hip Indie universe, which predisposes some people to dislike them and others to love them uncritically. (Happily, your music blogger falls in neither camp.) Singer Jenny Lewis (like fellow RK fronter Blake Sennett, a former child TV star) is not only a fashion icon, not only cute […]

Scientists uncover underwater community on Atlantic seamount

Scientists encountered what may be a new species of seed shrimp, a translucent crustacean that swims at a depth of 50 to 200 meters. On a seamount in the Northern Atlantic, remote-operated vehicles shed light on what one researcher referred to as an underwater "continent."

Clutching to the rocky cliffs was a menagerie of corals and sponges, as well as brittle stars and starfish, sea cucumbers, and worms. Some of the creatures are quite rare, not found anywhere else in the world -- all the more reason to be mindful of the brilliant life thriving below the surface.

We’re all gonna die

Look out below: Infectious diseases are emerging faster than at any time in history, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a report on Thursday that urged closer global cooperation to tackle the growing health threats of the 21st century. The WHO underlined that the threats knew no boundaries and included not only epidemics, but […]

You won’t find a better review of the Yamaha CP300 anywhere!

If you happen to be perusing the newest issue of Jazz Times — available on newsstands! — flip on over to the Gearhead section and check out the ace review of the Yamaha CP300 Stage Piano. It’s written by a young piano prodigy who’s tearing up the D.C. jazz scene. You can hear some of […]

Janisse Ray says that greens need to ‘be the change’ in moving toward sustainability

The wonderful southern environmental writer Janisse Ray (Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, and others) has a new piece in Orion magazine of interest to Gristmillers, called "Altar Call for True Believers," where she wonders why even the so-called choir seems to be failing at making great strides toward sustainability. It starts out with this startling vignette about greens and air travel:

Is Our Children Greening?

Students and colleges starting to go green It’s school time again, and you know what that means: pencils, books, teachers’ dirty looks, and ambitious eco-minded students. Thanks to the influence of today’s yoots — a generation accustomed to sorting their trash and hyper-aware of global warming — schools across the country are greening up education. […]

Refine! Be That Way!

EPA rejects stricter emissions standards for U.S. refineries Following a review of the refinery pollution rules it issued in 1995, the U.S. EPA has decided not to improve the 12-year-old rules because the analysis found that “the risks to human health and the environment are low enough that no further controls are warranted.” As the […]

No Peaking

Bush administration eases restrictions on mountaintop-removal mining The Bush administration has given a big thumbs-up to mountaintop-removal mining, the practice of blasting the peaks off of mountains and dumping the rubble into watersheds and valleys. A proposed rule issued today will exempt mining waste from an inconsistently interpreted 1983 rule that disallows mining activity within […]