Daily News Bucket

11 Comments

1. 

   Knoxville Progressive on February 16, 2006 at 9:46 am

   Amid a growing outcry, NOAA backed away from a statement it released after last year’s powerful hurricane season that discounted any link to global warming.  (Sorry, the story is in the Wall Street Journal’s paying-customer section).   Meanwhile, the scope of political pressure applied to NASA scientists to “toe the party line” grows, with new revelations of suppression in connection with the 2004 election.  (At what point can we add this scandal to the list of grounds for impeachment, huh?)

   Plants around the world are using water much more efficiently, thanks to increased amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect is so pronounced, says a new study, that it is massively increasing river flows and raising the risks of flooding.  “We think it has added about 2000 cubic kilometres to annual global runoff, which is a pretty big deal,” says Nicola Gedney of the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Exeter, UK, who led the study.

   The “No Shit, Sherlock” Department submits this for your consideration: High energy prices should spur investment in alternative energy sources and induce conservation over the long term, but they make the economy vulnerable in the near term, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday.

   Astronomers have found a giant electrical storm on Saturn, larger than the continental United States, in which the lightning bolts are more than 1,000 times stronger than conventional lightning  — the strongest of its kind ever seen.

   EPA’s Science advisory Board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a recommendation that a chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon and other nonstick and stain-resistant products should be considered a likely carcinogen.

   China announced a plan Wednesday to combat widespread pollution and leave a better environment for future generations, citing the need to stave off possible social instability.  The plan, approved by the State Council, or Cabinet, focuses on pollution controls and calls for the country to clean up heavily polluted regions and reverse degradation of water, air and land by 2010.

   Toxic cane toads are spreading out across Australia, evolving into a faster-moving form as they go.  The toads were introduced 70 years ago to control pests, but have since wrought havoc on indigenous animals. They kill snakes, lizards, water birds – even crocodiles and dingos.  When harassed they secrete poison carried in two sacs behind the head which is lethal to a potential predator within minutes of being ingested.

   If you liked Jared Diamond’s “Collapse,” you might be interested in this:

   Author and environmental journalist Eugene Linden will be online Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m. ET at the Washington Post website to discuss his new book, “The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations.” Linden examines the phenomenon of climate change from a historical perspective, arguing that the success and demise of civilizations has in many cases relied upon the generosity of climate and its effect on droughts, flooding, disease and other factors that contribute to the success or failure of societies. Linden says that the Earth’s climate is in the midst of change once again, and that the pace of warming has increased in recent levels. He points to recent examples of extreme weather and natural disasters and addresses the question of what a severe change in the climate could mean for the modern world.

   Global heating report du jour #1:  Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study reports that polar ice is melting at a rate of about 74,000 square kilometres each year – an area about the size of Lake Superior – and has been for the last 30 years.  The researchers indicate that the time to prevent any change in the arctic is long past:   “If we wanted to really change things to avoid the bulk of the impacts of climate change, we would have to totally change our way of life tomorrow,” said Fortier [a researcher from Quebec].  “We’d have to stop using our cars and reduce (greenhouse gas) emissions by 60 to 80 per cent, which would obviously create major problems.”

   Global heating report du jour #2:  Factoring in effects on soil bacteria and additional information of the effects of climate change on plants, scientists now say global warming will progress faster than expected, saying the average global temperature in 2100 will be 0.1 C to 1.5 C higher than current estimates that the average global temperature in 2100 will be 1.4 C to 5.8 C higher than in 1990.

   …And on that cheery note, we bid you Good Night and Good Luck…

2. 

   CabinGirl on February 16, 2006 at 10:32 am

   And I was all ready to go too…but locked out! 🙁

   The potential downside of national healthcare: Guardian

   A breast cancer patient lost a groundbreaking court battle yesterday which could have opened the way for hundreds more women to receive the life-prolonging drug Herceptin on the NHS.

   At the high court in London Mr Justice Bean refused to overturn Swindon primary care trust’s refusal to pay for Ann Marie Rogers to have the drug, which costs more than £26,000 for a course.

   Herceptin has been licensed and approved for Ms Rogers’ condition, HER-2 breast cancer, but only for the late stage. Her cancer is in the early stage.

   While trials indicate that Herceptin could prolong the lives of some women with early stage cancer, it has not yet been licensed by the drug authorities or appraised for that use by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice)…

   …The judge gave Ms Rogers permission to appeal, with a request that it be heard and decided before Easter.

   In the meantime he ruled that the trust, which was ordered to fund her treatment on an interim basis, must continue to pay for it pending the appeal court’s decision.

   The judge said many health authorities and trusts were funding treatment for all eligible women. “Some may criticise the present state of affairs as a postcode lottery,” he said. “Others will defend the principle of local autonomy in decision-making.”

   One of the sad things with this case is that Herceptin will likely be approved for use in early breast cancer in July of this year.  In the meantime, this poor woman has to fight for treatment.

3. 

   Egarwaen on February 16, 2006 at 10:34 am

   Ken Deffeyes claims that we hit Peak Oil in mid-December. His analysis seems good but, as usual, his examination of the alternatives is mind-bogglingly stupid, and his solutions seem intentionally insipid. Palm oil biodiesel? Does he want to destroy the rest of our habitat, or is he just an idiot? Abandon nuclear power? Rely on coal-based fuels? Diesel cars?

   In another stunning demonstration of the effectiveness of unregulated markets, the RIAA is now claiming that it’s “permission”, or withholding thereof, trumps copyright law.

   • 

     Knoxville Progressive on February 16, 2006 at 2:09 pm

     Is Deffeyes the one who was predicting Thanksgiving 2005 for Peak Oil?

     The last sentence in the copyright story was also interesting:  P.S.: The same filing also had this to say: “Similarly, creating a back-up copy of a music CD is not a non-infringing use…”  

     • 

       Egarwaen on February 16, 2006 at 7:34 pm

       Is Deffeyes the one who was predicting Thanksgiving 2005 for Peak Oil?

       Yup.

       The last sentence in the copyright story was also interesting: P.S.: The same filing also had this to say: “Similarly, creating a back-up copy of a music CD is not a non-infringing use…”

       Very interesting, as back-up copies are (IIRC) explicitly protected in law as “fair use”.

4. 

   CabinGirl on February 16, 2006 at 10:39 am

   Rice asks for money to spread dissent: NYT

   The Bush administration, frustrated by Iranian defiance over its nuclear program, proposed Wednesday to spend $85 million to promote political change inside Iran by subsidizing dissident groups, unions, student fellowships and television and radio broadcasts.

   Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, announcing a request for the money at a Senate hearing, said the administration had worked out a way to circumvent American laws barring financial relations with Iran to allow some money to go directly to groups promoting change inside the country. “We are going to begin a new effort to support the aspirations of the Iranian people,” Ms. Rice said at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We will use this money to develop support networks for Iranian reformers, political dissidents and human rights activists.”

   Senior State Department officials said they did not intend to publicize recipients of the money in the future, for fear that they could be jailed or even killed. “This is a very good idea, but all these efforts face the same problem,” said Michael McFaul, a political science professor at Stanford University. “In working with their potential colleagues in Iran, will they get them into trouble? Once they participate in a training program, what happens to them back in their country?”

   Interesting way to spread democracy.  Guess election results only count if the US approves the winners.

5. 

   maryb2004 on February 16, 2006 at 10:42 am

   Michael Jackson’s wife win’s big appellate victory in child custody dispute.

   Now it will head back to the lower courts to determine what is in the best interest of the children.

   • 

     CabinGirl on February 16, 2006 at 10:47 am

     Neither of those parents is any prize, IMO.

     • 

       maryb2004 on February 16, 2006 at 10:51 am

       It’s the kind of news that Boran2 likes.  Gotta give the public what they want.

6. 

   AndiF on February 16, 2006 at 1:18 pm

   News for maryb and other chocoholics — you’ve got an excuse:

   Full story

   Appreciation for sweet tastes is hard wired into the brains of most insects and animals, including humans, according to a recent study.

   Since the study also determined that our brains have a built-in aversion to bitter substances, chocolate would appear to be a neutral food, but its sweetness usually wins people over, even when the chocolate is dark and slightly bitter.

   “There is a fine balance between bitter and sweet,” said Kristin Scott, who led the study, which was published in a recent issue of Neuron. “Even fruitflies will eat bitter substances if the ratio of sugar is high. Coffee drinking is definitely an acquired taste.”

7. 

   idredit on February 16, 2006 at 1:43 pm

   This is a jaw-popper.

   Thinkprogress caught this tidbit in DHS Secretary, Michael Chertoff’s interview on the PBS Newshour. He was asked what were some of the major problems leading to the poor response to Katrina.

   Chertoff replied:

   The second thing was a lack of awareness of what was going on, on the ground. Now I was a decision-maker. And I was constantly struggling to get an accurate picture of what the circumstances were in New Orleans. Part of that was a lack of communications equipment.

   Thinkprogress cites a revealing Newseek item why Chertoff was struggling:

   Neither Chertoff or Rummy use e-mail. Really!

   How about a plain old ’60s rotary phone? Or maybe a look on TV or the papers – doing wall to wall coverage. Maybe a call to the National Hurricane Center after landfall, a call to your minions?

   Given all the heads-up, this pig won’t fly.

   Read the piece “Undeliverable”