Environmental Defense Fund. Wilderness.org. UN reports that 22,000 elephants were poached last year in Africa. Elephants are one of Africa’s critical “keystone” species, and estimates place the total population of elephants around 450,000. The loss of 22,000 mostly adult elephants, or roughly 5%, is critical as elephant young require the care of the parent. The demand for ivory that fuels the poaching conducted on the continent comes primarily from Asia, and more specifically from wealthy Chinese who pay over $1000 per pound for what is seen as a status symbol.
The poaching trade has advanced beyond automatic weapons and chainsaws in its process to harvest the animals' tusks. In September of this year, cyanide was used to poison the water supply of an area, killing 109 elephants. This technique is extremely detrimental as it not only poisons the elephants, but any species, including humans, that drink the contaminated water. The poison creates a second and sometimes third layer of victims when scavengers eat the carcasses of animals that were poisoned. Read more...
How Fat Might Be the Key to Improving People's Lives. Sometimes the most amazing scientific discoveries happen by accident; a loaf of moldy bread or a game of connect the dots with a public water pump becomes a clue to a breakthrough. Researchers at UCLA announced a similar happy accident this week: the discovery of human stem cells in adipose tissue, aka fat, taken from liposuction procedures. This is actually nothing new; researchers have noted the presence of adipose stem cells since 2001, and they’ve been used in a variety of procedures in both human and veterinary research.
These cells, though, are particularly special. Known as Multilineage-differentiating Stress-Enduring cells (MUSE cells), they’re pluripotent, which means that can potentially develop all the various cell types found in the human body, unlike multipotent stem cells, which are only capable of differentiating into several different types of adult cells. Adults produce several kinds of multipotent stem cells, but the presence of pluripotent stem cells is significant.
Save the Last 20,000 Polar Bears | COMPASSION AND EMPATHY FOR ANIMALS | causes.com. WARNING: Video contains graphic footage The Polar Bears ,their Habitat shrinks by Global Warming. By the additional Hunting for their Pelts they are in Danger of Extinction. There are only 20,000 left! The argument with the Inuit is just a bullshit pretext. The Inuit have their own demand for meat that has never threatened the survival of polar bears.Behind this legal loophole is represented the whole fur trade and trophy industry, with semi-automatic weapons shooting all animals in their sights. This involves a lot of money. Now in the Arctic Circle, hundreds and thousands of hunters come to hunt for polar bears for $35,000 a head, and they come from all over the world- Mexico, Europe, the U.S, and even Canada's "Inuit" communities, many of whom hunt their quotas and legally sell them onto outsiders wiling to part with cash. Hunter Photo: HSUS- American trophy hunters are gunning for Canada's shrinking polar bear population 新しいFB-グループで共有し、緊急時における動物のために他の請願に署名.
Fight for the Great Barrier Reef | WWF (World Wildlife Fund / World Wide Fund for Nature) | causes.com. Wildfire sparked by target shooters results in Utah evacuations. Thousands of families in Utah have been evacuated from their homes as winds continue to fuel a wildfire believe to have been sparked by target shooters. Residents of at least 2,300 properties in the northern part of the the state sought refuge Friday, as flames scorched a growing area around 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. High winds that have helped fan the blaze onto tinder-dry grasslands are expected to last throughout the weekend, prompting fears of further upheaval for some people in areas of risk. The fire began to take hold on Thursday. Authorities were initially worried as flames moved toward property owned by an explosives company, but the focus turned yesterday to saving homes as winds kicked up and the fire moved toward Saratoga Springs.
On Friday, fire officials were calling in additional aircraft and extra ground crews. Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy said he feared the fire could take down the area's power grid, shutting off electricity to up to 7,000 homes. The world's oldest clove tree. 23 June 2012Last updated at 10:51 GMT By Simon Worrall Ternate, Indonesia Indonesia's "Spice Islands" produced more nutmeg, mace, pepper and cloves than anywhere else in the world and on the island of Ternate, one particular tree has an extraordinary history.
"Bule, Bule," shout the children excitedly, as our jeep threads its way up a steep road on the side of the volcano. "White man, White man. " I am on Ternate, one of Indonesia's fabled Spice Islands. The midday call to prayer mingles with the mosquito-whine of motorcycles. Above us, smoke seeps from the side of Gamalama, the pyramid-shaped volcano that dominates the island. It had erupted only a month earlier, sending a tongue of molten lava pouring down the mountain into the sea. I am searching for the world's oldest clove tree. For millennia, Ternate and the neighbouring island of Tidore were the world's only source of those fragrant, twig-like herbs that love to hide at the back of our kitchen cupboards. Continue reading the main story.
Microhydro energy: reinventing the wheel. Dreifa Mills sits in a Welsh valley near Cwm Morgan, hidden up a narrow lane where the faint rush of river mingles with the rustle of foliage. So ensconced is the mill in the landscape that when owner Mike Godsell first saw it in 1978, it looked as if it was being eaten by woodland. Green moss crept over the red bricks and branches spread across the roof, while the 20ft water wheel stood motionless, like a stopped clock. "I saw this place and thought: 'It's rotting away and nobody seems to care.' But I cared. " It took 10 years to make the Dreifa Mills wheel turn again. The electricity powers Godsell's workshop, where he saws logs from his own woodland to fuel the mill's heating system. Have a trickling burn on your land? Hydro schemes are among the most important potential sources of renewable energy in Britain.
Microhydro has advantages over other forms of renewable energy. For Godsell, getting into hydropower by restoring Dreifa Mills felt like atonement. Langenberg -- Search and Get There Faster.
Interior caught in the act? BOOM. There's Your American Construction Recovery. Darkside Government. I-40 in Arkansas Being Used as Military Staging Point for Future Event? | Plamero.com. The Intel Hub December 27, 2011 Unconfirmed News Tip The Intel Hub has received multiple tips that indicate that Interstate 40 in Arkansas may be being used as a loading point for some sort of military operation that has been going on for a better part of a year.
Eyewitness report: Not a trucker but regularly on the transportation hub of I-40 in Arkansas. I’ve been watching truck after truck loaded with military equipment on this stretch for the better part of a year. It’s mostly humvees with gun turrets and what appears to be urban assault vehicles and troop transports. After responding to this tip, the eyewitness further stated: Anyone traveling the stretch of 40 between Memphis and Little Rock sees this every time they travel. Considering the fact that Indefinite detention of Americans by the military is now the law of the land, this information is very startling. Constitutional attorney: Guantanamo ‘nearly impossible to close’ thanks to NDAA. By Stephen C. WebsterTuesday, January 3, 2012 9:35 EDT The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will not be closing any time soon thanks to President Barack Obama’s approval of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a constitutional attorney who’s represented terrorism suspects told Raw Story this week in an exclusive interview.
Even though President Barack Obama made closing Guantanamo one of his core campaign promises in the lead-up to the presidential election in 2008, that promise now appears to be “nearly impossible” to fulfill thanks to provisions in the new laws, Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, explained. As an attorney, Azmy represented Murat Kurnaz, a German who was detained by Pakistani authorities and sold to the U.S. for a bounty. “It has no real geographical limitation, it has no temporal limitation,” he said, summarizing key provisions in the NDAA.
Photo: Flickr user takomabibelot. Stephen C. Stephen C. Vermont’s Sanders to appear on Colbert Report | vt.Buzz. Who do you think is the best US Senator? Happy “Bill of Rights Day” – Celebrate them before they’re gone … and you’d better be quick about it. By Anthony Gregory / HuffPost / Dec 15, 2011 Today is Bill of Rights Day, the 220-year anniversary of this revered document’s addition to the U.S. Constitution in 1791. The Anti-Federalists had demanded a Bill of Rights to ensure that the federal government created in 1789 would not morph into the type of tyranny that the American colonists had resisted in the Revolution.
It might seem like a difficult day to celebrate, however, as we consider the current state of liberties in our nation. With the militarization of police, the erosion of requirements for search and seizure, the presidential powers used as a blanket for deplorable detention policies, the raging war on drugs, invasive TSA “security” procedures and so much else, today’s governing principles at times seem to reflect the authorship of George Orwell more than that of James Madison. U.S. history reminds us of why so many early Americans wanted a Bill of Rights. War has been the greatest cause of depredations on civil liberties. Nearly Half of Americans in Poverty or Low-Income, Census Says | ValueWalk.com. A new look at U.S.
Census data painted a stark picture of poverty. It showed nearly one in two Americans are now in poverty, or classified as low-income. Also, the war in Iraq officially ended after nearly nine years. Video And Transcript Below: HARI SREENIVASAN: A new look at U.S. census data painted a stark picture today of poverty. It showed nearly one in two Americans are now in poverty or classified as low-income. The stock market managed a rally today, after word that new claims for unemployment benefits are falling. Also today, Morgan Stanley announced it is eliminating 1,600 jobs in the first quarter of next year to cut costs. The war in Iraq officially ended today after nearly nine years. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA: You will leave with great pride, lasting pride, secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people begin a new chapter in history. HARI SREENIVASAN: The two governments were unable to reach a deal allowing a small U.S. force to remain. The U.S.
50 Economic Numbers About The US That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe | ValueWalk.com. The Economic Collapse Blog does a terrific job of periodically putting together a compilation of the scariest data points about the US economy. Today is one such day, and the list of 50 economic numbers presented is indeed, as the author puts it, “almost too crazy to believe“… Almost. As noted: “At this time of the year, a lot of families get together, and in most homes the conversation usually gets around to politics at some point. Hopefully many of you will use the list below as a tool to help you share the reality of the U.S. economic crisis with your family and friends. If we all work together, hopefully we can get millions of people to wake up and realize that “business as usual” will result in a national economic apocalypse.” Or, far more likely, 99% of the population can continue watching Dancing with the Stars, as what little wealth remains is terminally transferred to those who are paying attention right below everyone’s eyes.
Blumenthal Gets Ready For Heating Assistance Fight. By Christine Stuart | Dec 12, 2011 4:00pm Google(1) Comment | Commenting has expired Posted to: Congress, State Budget Christine Stuart photo U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal When he gets back to Washington D.C. Monday U.S. “This week marks a critical turning point in the battle to save heating assistance funding for 117,000 Connecticut homes at risk of losing it this winter,“ Blumenthal said after an unrelated event at Capital Community College in Hartford. The U.S. “I am hopeful Congress will recognize we need all of this funding,” he said.
Earlier this year, three legislative committees in Connecticut agreed to spend $61.6 million on the program, even though President Barack Obama budgeted about $46 million for the state. Rep. Malloy’s budget office continues in its monthly letters to the state Comptroller to express concerns about the program and the uncertainty it creates within the state’s budget. “We’re about to see a perfect storm. Share this story with others. Comment. Video: Preserving World Heritage Sites through 3D Laser Scanning. Is Obama Building A Bunker Under The White House Lawn? Charles Dharapak/AP Photo For over two years, crews have torn up the North Lawn of the White House just outside the West Wing for what the General Services Administration calls a "utility upgrade.
" But it seems everyone — including people who work at the White House — think something else is going on. One West Wing official told The New York Times last month that "It is security-related construction," adding "Even we don't know exactly what. " There are two other bunkers on the White House grounds — the hardened Situation Room, and the nuclear shelter under the East Wing. Is this a third? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
The Cheapest, Cleanest Energy in America: Where You'll Find It. John Jordan - Politicians Bicker While Bridges Crumble. John Jordan Politicians Bicker While Bridges Crumble Bio Email This Print Comment 7/11/2011 24 comments Login to Rate in Share 3 While Congress and the Administration try to decide what to do about the federal debt ceiling before the August 2 deadline, another time limit looms less than two months later that will be critical to the nation's construction and transportation sectors.
Congress has until Sept. 30 to approve a new national transportation bill. President Obama has called for a $556 billion, six-year bill, significantly higher than the $286 billion Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU) bill , which expired on Sept. 30, 2009. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL) released a proposal last week that calls for less than half of the President's funding level, or approximately $230 billion over six years.
So let's review. One of the worst: the Tappan Zee Bridge, located just outside of New York City. Why? </b>*} Allahabad museum to document flora, fauna of Ganga-Yamuna belt. Allahabad Museum, which is one of the four national museums in the country, has undertaken an exercise to document the existing flora and fauna in the Ganga and Yamuna river belt. The findings will then be compared with the existence of these varieties in the past and used to send a message, through interactive means, about the importance of preserving the rich natural heritage. Museum director Rajesh Purohit tol The Indian Express that the exercise has just begun. "We have just begun the documentation. The information will be put up on the official website of Allahabad Museum.
As and when this exercise is completed, we will get the experts to evaluate what all have changed through the years and why preserving the existing natural heritage is necessary," said Purohit. He added that the Ganga and Yamuna river belts are still very rich in biodiversity. "The available information will be utilised to disseminate a message about conservation of environment," said Purohit.
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