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Take a Toxic Load Off Annie

Environmental factors may cause many breast cancers, report says Up to half of all new breast cancers may be caused by environmental factors — including exposure to everyday chemicals — rather than heredity or lifestyle, a new report says. Released this week by the Breast Cancer Fund and Breast Cancer Action, “State of the Evidence” […]

Solution Finds New Problem

Republicans in Congress reanimate efforts to drill in Arctic Refuge Iran — the world’s fourth-largest oil producer — has threatened to cut oil exports if other nations impose economic sanctions to punish it for restarting its nuclear-power program. Some analysts say oil prices could spike to $100 a barrel if Iran stopped exports entirely. In […]

Dropping Acid

EPA asks companies to phase out toxic chemical PFOA The U.S. EPA, having recently discovered that P stands for “protection,” has asked DuPont and seven other chemical companies to phase out use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon cookware, stain-repellant fabrics, microwave popcorn bags, and other scarily ubiquitous household […]

Another pundit on the take

Is every conservative pundit on the take?

Today Paul D. Thacker reports in The New Republic that Fox News columnist and junkscience.com proprietor Steven Milloy -- stalwart defender of tobacco and fossil fuels -- has been receiving hefty payments for years from, uh, tobacco and fossil-fuel companies.

However, unlike other news outlets that have dumped pundits after finding out they're receiving money from the subjects of their columns, Fox has been looking the other way (to put it charitably). Thacker concludes:

Perhaps the real reason the news organization tolerates Milloy is that his pro-industry, anti-environmentalist views dovetail nicely with those of its political commentators. Still, this misses an important distinction. Objective viewers long ago realized that Fox News has a political agenda. But, when a pundit promotes this agenda while on the take from corporations that benefit from it, then Fox News has gone one disturbing step further.

It’s biofuel realities that matter, not airy scenarios

All due respect to the intrepid folks at ThinkProgress, but I think this defense of biofuels falls a bit short. There's this:

First, developing a biofuel economy can actually help reduce hunger and poverty by diversifying agricultural and forestry activities, attracting new farmers, and investing in small and medium enterprises. Increased investment in agricultural production has the potential to boost incomes of the world's poorest people.

In what world does "investment in agricultural production" benefit "the world's poorest people"? The trend for the last half-century has been for agricultural investment -- read, subsidies -- to go to mega-agribusiness. If biofuel really catches on, if a robust global market develops, is there any reason at all to think that the same huge corporations won't dominate it?

I was browsing through this month's Atlantic Monthly; in the first 20 or so pages, I saw two advertisements touting the magic of ethanol. Guess who paid for the ads? Siemens and Archer Daniels Midland. Not exactly "small and medium enterprises."

And this:

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Over on Alternet, Traci Hukill has a nice and fairly comprehensive piece up about the U.N.'s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Worth a read.

Only concrete alternatives will cajole people out of the suburbs

Often, the first step to helping people make better choices is showing them that there are choices.

One of the biggest and most important -- albeit frequently overlooked -- steps toward combating global warming, improving public health, reducing air pollution, and restoring a sense of community and fellow-feeling to American life is changing the structure of our communities.

Right now, conventional wisdom is that the choice is between suburbs -- big houses, plenty of privacy and safety, big, cheap retail readily available -- and tight, cramped, dangerous, dirty living in a city, with corner stores the only source of provisions. This perception is off, but it's not that far off. There are still too few concrete examples of dense, safe, mixed-use walkable communities with all the conveniences of the suburbs.

So, forthwith, Dave's Two-Step Plan for Cleaner, Safer Communities:

Umbra on video games

Dear Umbra, After reading some heart-rending, gut-wrenching articles on global warming, I’ve decided that I want to do something about it. I’ve started by vowing never to buy a car, or get a driver’s license. But I happen to love video games. Nothing is going to make me stop playing my video games. As I […]

Coal industry suggests more mountaintop mining; Bush appointee just walks out

Well, they've got balls, you gotta give them that: Coal industry flacks, in response to safety fears raised by the Sago mine accident (among others), say that hey, maybe we'd all be safer if we just blew off the tops of the mountains instead of sending people in.

"Technology has driven the fact that we can produce more coal with less workers, so there's fewer people exposed to hazards," said Joe Lucas, executive director of industry group Americans for Balanced Energy Choices.

The mind boggles.

In other mine safety/brass balls news, on Monday David Dye, the acting head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, was testifying before a Senate subcommittee about the administration's response to Sago. After an hour of questioning, he declared that he was busy and walked out. Seriously -- just walked out.

Senator Specter responded with frustration: "I can understand your pressing other business. It may well be that some of the senators here have pressing matters, too. We don't think we are imposing too much to keep you here for another hour."

After Mr. Specter added, "That's the committee's request, but you're not under subpoena," Mr. Dye got up and walked out.

"I can't recollect it ever happening before," Mr. Specter said of the departure. "We'll find a way to take appropriate note of it."

Think Progress has the video.

Where do they find these people?

Scientists find a new place for humans to destroy

Apparently there's a planet similar to Earth out there. Which is comforting, considering we might need a new one soon.