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Yipee, we’re all gonna die!

All you biocentrists have a new hero.

Particularly amusing was this understated student evaluation:

Though I agree that conservation biology is of utmost importance to the world, I do not think that preaching that 90 percent of the human population should die of Ebola is the most effective means of encouraging conservation awareness.

(via Drudge)

Update [2006-4-5 12:39:2 by David Roberts]: Well, dammit. I had a bad feeling about posting this, but it seemed like the kind of juicy thing that would start discussion. Now it seems I was a dupe. Via Andrew Sullivan, I see that the big stink being raised over this professor was started by an anti-evolutionist kook, and that the professor's words have been twisted and stripped of context. Let this be a lesson to all of you (OK, to me) about the dangers of speed blogging. Pharyngula has more.

Milloy’s attempt to fight the zeitgeist falls on its face

You many have heard a while back about a new mutual fund -- the Free Enterprise Action Fund -- headed by Junk Science proprietor and legendary hack Steven Milloy. Milloy started the fund as a way to counter what he sees as the pernicious influence of so-called socially responsible investment (SRI) initiatives, which are (obviously!) nothing more than fronts for capitalism-hatin' lefty special-interest groups. The fund launches shareholder initiatives at places like Goldman Sachs and GE demanding that the companies stop saving energy and cutting back greenhouse-gas emissions. Seriously.

Anyhoo, we didn't cover this in Daily Grist or here, 'cause really, why give cranks the attention they so desperately seek?

However, Tim Lambert has a hilarious post up today reviewing the financial performance of the fund. It is, to say the least, less than stellar.

Sweet, sweet schadenfreude.

New scheme for OPEC would make Venezuela’s oil reserves world’s largest

There's some big stuff happening in Venezuela these days. In an interview with the BBC, President Hugo Chavez announced a bid that could change the entire world oil situation. He wants OPEC to set its long-term oil target price at $50/barrel. Why? At $50, large portions of Venezuela's copious heavy crude in the Orinoco Tar Sands become economically viable, and Venezuela's official oil reserves automatically skyrocket to 312 billion barrels -- surpassing Saudi Arabia's 262 billion, currently the world's largest.

This would raise OPEC's production quotas, bring in a bucketload of new revenue to the Venezuelan government (which just renegotiated more favorable terms with several oil companies, and seized oil fields from two companies that refused to cooperate), and dramatically increase the country's influence and Chavez's stature.

The best summary I've seen is this one from Motley Fool:

Umbra on talking to friends about climate change

Dear Umbra, I need a good stick-it-to-ya comeback to friends who, while they acknowledge global warming and hear me rattle off all that is bad about it, are liking the direct effects, which right now are sunnier and warmer days. What can I do or say to get them to snap back into reality, especially […]

A Cure for What Whales Ya

Five major food firms dump shares in whaling operator The Gorton’s fisherman is going cold turkey on whale meat. Five major food companies, including Japanese seafood giant Nissui — the owner of Gorton’s — announced that they are ending support for Japanese whaling by dumping their one-third share in Kyodo Senpaku, the largest operator of […]

Up the Arsenic

Chicken with arsenic a daily part of American diet You may be getting a significant dose of poison with your Chick’n Stix. Arsenic is a U.S. government-sanctioned supplement to chicken feed — it’s used to kill parasites and promote growth — despite being a known carcinogen and being implicated in other illnesses. Although the average […]

Mad About Peru

Take a photo journey to the far reaches of Peru Have we mentioned we’re giving away a trip to Peru? We are! Check it out. But first check out a gorgeous collection of Peruvian photos by Gary Braasch, a globe-trotting, conservation-minded photog. Today he takes us to the Amazon, the Andes, Machu Picchu, and other […]

Waddle They Do Now?

Global warming also affects — noooooooo! — penguins Need a new weapon in your arsenal against global-warming skeptics? Try baby penguin fuzzy-wuzziness. According to a new study, penguins and other Antarctic seabirds are nesting and laying eggs later than they did half a century ago, and scientists blame … the usual culprit. In eastern Antarctica, […]

A photo journey to the far reaches of Peru

In a collection of photos, Gary Braasch takes us on a visit to Peru’s rivers, mountains, ancient temples, and young faces — the country’s true gems. Photos: © Gary Braasch   Peru is dominated by two features that are, to most outsiders, the stuff of legend: the Amazon and the Andes. The lush forests and […]

The biggest Nature Conservancy financial commitment ever

The New York Times tells us about the biggest financial commitment in the Nature Conservancy's history:

On Tuesday, the International Paper Company announced it would receive $300 million in a deal arranged by the Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Fund for 217,000 acres in 10 states around the Southeast.

Urban sprawl has reached a fever pitch in many parts of the country:

If the 39,000 acres in the two tracts...near the Georgia border -- were up for sale, Mr. Frampton predicted, it would be bought up instantly and subdivided into hunting clubs and hobby farms and eventually second-home communities. There are 100 golf courses in the Myrtle Beach area... and The Charleston Post recently reported that there were 134,000 building permits in Charleston County alone.