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Shark finning divisive issue

A few days ago I came across this post by Doctor Mark Hyman touting the medicinal properties of food. During his recent trip to China, the doctor was "treated" to the "delicacy" of shark fin soup, which he claims can help ease arthritis and possibly fight cancer.

Final count in Ohio may take a while

Also on the "to be determined" front, Ohio's 15th district race between Republican incumbent Deborah Pryce (an LCV Dirty Dozener) and Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy. From AP:

It kicked ass

The Grist reader party in San Francisco on Friday was a smashing success. Over 300 eco-glitterati packed into the art gallery, and they were resplendent: young, urbane, and utterly destructive to every caricature that's ever attached to the word "environmentalist." A reporter who was there researching a story on Grist, speaking afterwards, was moved to exclaim: "I can't believe how hot everybody was!"

Indeed.

Race bitter to the very end

For anyone still paying attention, the race in New Mexico's 1st Congressional district continues. As of this morning, Republican incumbent Heather Wilson is about 1,487 votes ahead of Democratic challenger and state Attorney General Patrica Madrid.

Julian Dautremont-Smith, higher-education sustainability advocate, answers questions

Julian Dautremont-Smith. What work do you do? I’m the associate director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. AASHE has a staff of two, so I have a hand in almost everything the organization does. How does it relate to the environment? AASHE is a membership-based association of colleges and universities […]

Too Hot to Handle

Toxic exposure gives firefighters higher risk of some cancers, study says Rushing into infernos seems risky enough, but new findings suggest flames may be the least of a firefighter’s worries. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say blaze-battlers face a higher risk of developing some cancers than the general population, likely due to their exposure […]

Fund, Fund, Fund ’til Daddy Took the T-Note Away

U.N. climate talks continue, but dissension rules the day As week two of the U.N. climate talks kicks off in Nairobi, Kenya, debate is raging over how to manage a fund that will help poorer countries adapt to climate change. Western countries want the $3 million fund — which is expected to grow to $750 […]

Moderate or not, he had to go

Among the interminable analyses of the election running in the New York Times this weekend came this wistful piece from defeated Rhode Island Senate incumbent Lincoln Chafee, who chalks his defeat up to anti-Bush "virulence."

He recalls meeting with his fellow Northeastern Republican moderates and Dick Cheney shortly after the 2000 election. He was somewhat taken aback -- all of them were, I imagine -- by the uncompromising partisan, ideological agenda Cheney promised to pursue. He sent a letter to Cheney afterwards, urging moderation. It included this passage:

Dams squeeze methane out of river water

There is a major controversy brewing on how carbon neutral large scale hydroelectricity really is. It has been known for a long time that dams emit both methane and CO2. The question has always been, how much of those emission are net? According to the International Rivers Network (PDF), studies by ecologist Philip Fearnside of the National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA) have shown that net methane emissions from hydropower are slightly higher than those from burning natural gas.

An op-ed in a UK paper

An opinion piece in The Independent argues that carbon trading is not the most effective way to reduce emissions, and is in fact counterproductive.

I've been known to make this argument myself, so I'm glad to see it in a major UK paper. (It will be quite a wait before we see it in major U.S. media.)