Why Isn't There a More Massive, Activist Climate Movement? Eight years ago I decided that I needed to change my life. The reason? The late summer heat wave which hit Western Europe in August, 2003, leading to 30,000 or more deaths. I knew about the issue of global warming before 2003. But it was that European heat wave that literally drove me to serious study about this issue, and by the end of the year I was convinced that the climate crisis was much more serious, much more imminent, than I had thought. There’s no question but that today, compared to eight years ago, there is much more consciousness about and work on this most overarching and urgent of issues. But the deeper truth is that, certainly in the United States, there is a disconnect between the urgency of this civilizational crisis and the response to it on the part of the broad progressive citizenry, those tens of millions of people who believe generally in human rights and fact-based decision-making. -Human society’s dependence upon fossil fuels is wide and deep.
Promoting green electronics in government “The beauty of the project is that we’ve harnessed supply and demand to green the marketplace,” said Elwood, project manager of the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program. “This program has greened the supply chain and product offerings worldwide.” Elwood not only helps agencies buy computers, but she assists with the development of standards that define what exactly a green product is – the first question suppliers tend to ask, she said. Federal purchasers now are required to buy computers listed on a global registry known as “EPEAT” that is based on a standard Elwood helped create with other interested parties. This Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool is the largest rating system for electronics. EPEAT requires products meet criteria in eight environmental performance categories that look at such factors such as the product’s longevity, its packaging and the level of environmentally sensitive materials it contains.
Bogota horse carts refuse to budge We don’t block traffic. I clean the city up when I carry junk off and put it to use. I also create work for the junk dealers. We keep stuff out of the landfill. But don't call us zorreros, because it sounds like ‘zorra,’ a slang word for ‘prostitute’. We buy the horses down by the old slaughterhouse. I’m not sure about the plan to give us motorized tricycles to replace the horse carts. Just imagine! 2011-11-03 Green Party calls for a nationwide moratorium on home foreclosures GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 3, 2011 Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org Greens urge Obama, Congress to halt further bank foreclosures: Wall Street firms should suffer 'austerity' for the economic crisis they caused, not the American people Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on economics: WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States called for an immediate nationwide moratorium on foreclosures and urged President Obama and Congress to take steps to halt further actions by banks to foreclose on the homes of Americans in the continuing economic recession. Greens said that President Obama, despite his expressions of sympathy for people facing lost homes and jobs, remains on the side of Wall Street.
How SOPA Affects Students, Educators, and Libraries Big media groups like the MPAA and the RIAA have historically targeted college campuses with “anti-piracy” measures, and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) — the blacklist bill they’re trying to push through Congress — is no exception. The bill’s supporters insist that it targets only “rogue” foreign sites dedicated to piracy, but its vague language and overbroad enforcement methods all but ensure it could be used to stifle student and educator speech. Open educational resources Some sites with reason to be particularly concerned are international communities dedicated to “open educational resources” (OERs), which are created to be shared, built upon, and used in education. Sites like the Japan Opencourseware Consortium or Universia, which offer resources from more than 1,000 universities and represents over 10 million students, could fall into this category. Libraries and librarians They’re not alone. Fair use for students and educators What can you do?
Green Party of Colorado - Official website Ron Paul: There are better anti-war choices 3:00 p.m. EST, January 5, 2012 Contrary to Mary Meehan's assertion ("Ron Paul — the only choice for anti-war voters," Jan. 2), Ron Paul is not necessarily the best and certainly not the only option for anti-war voters. The Greens' 2012 presidential candidate will no doubt maintain similar positions when he or she is nominated at the party's national convention here in Baltimore this summer. Ron Paul's anti-war position is refreshing. The Green Party has, on the other hand, not only endorsed the Occupy Movement but has long given attention to the dangerous disparity between rich and poor and the excessive influence of corporate power upon our lives. If Ms. Irwin Fried, Baltimore We've upgraded our reader commenting system. The Baltimore Sun encourages civil dialogue related to our stories; you must register and log-in to our site in order to participate.
Facebook Nurse-In: 60 Breastfeeding Moms Protest At Facebook Headquarters A group of angered moms took their qualms with Facebook offline and into the real world on Monday, staging nurse-ins in front of the social network's headquarters around the world. The move was the latest in an ongoing fight between Facebook and nursing mothers, who are challenging the company's policy that says photos depicting breastfeeding are "inappropriate." Protest leader Emma Kwasnica is a breastfeeding advocate who has posted over 200 photos of herself nursing her own three children -- and who told the Huffington Post that her account has been suspended at least five times as a result. She knows at least 30 other women whose accounts have been shut down for the same reason, she said. Her very public fight began in January when the Vancouver Sun reported on her repetitive suspensions and a Facebook publicist responded that breastfeeding is not exempt from the website's no-nudity standards. Facebook then contacted the Huffington Post directly with a a clarifying statement:
Colorado Court Upholds Permit for Uranium Mill On Thursday, December 8, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld a decision that allowed a special use permit for a uranium mill in western Colorado, according to a report by the Montrose Daily Press. The Piñon Ridge Mill, if built, would be the first new uranium mill in the United States in more than a quarter of a century. Here's a timeline of the Energy Fuels Inc. project and the challenges to it: July 2009: Energy Fuels Inc. received a unanimous 5-0 vote by the Montrose County, Colorado Planning Commission for its special use permit. The permit would allow the 880 acre site to be used for the construction of the Piñon Ridge Mill. September 30, 2009: The three-person Montrose County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the special use permit application. November 2009: Energy Fuels Inc. made application with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for the Radioactive Materials License. Energy FuelsColorado Court of AppealsMontrose County
Geordie Mark: Coal and Uranium Generate Heat The Energy Report: There have been recent takeovers in the coal sector, including the $1 billion (B) takeover of Grande Cache Coal by a Chinese and Japanese business combination. What should investors take away from that deal? Geordie Mark: Investors need to be aware that metallurgical coal is intimately related to the steel market. Our expectations for growth in the steel market drive our expectations for growth in metallurgical coal. TER: Chinese imports of metallurgical coal have grown along with China’s steel sector. GM: With steel demand increasing, we expect China to have an ever-increasing footprint in terms of metallurgical coal consumption. TER: Which juniors with advanced coal projects are likely to see some interest from potential suitors on the heels of the Grande Cache deal? GM: The first that comes to mind is Xinergy Ltd. Another name is Corsa Coal Corp. TER: What about Coalspur Mines Ltd. GM: To put Coalspur in context, it helps to talk about thermal coal. GM: Absolutely.
Piezoelectric air pump - Avnet Kopp - Dataweek Piezoelectric air pump8 February 2012, Passive Components Murata announced the MZB1001 microblower, a miniature piezoelectric air pump designed for a wide range of household consumer products. Measuring 20 x 20 x 1,85 mm (excluding nozzle), it is believed to be the smallest air pump in the market. Using a piezoelectric diaphragm which vibrates up and down when a sine wave voltage is applied, the vibrations force air into the microblower and out through a nozzle on the top of the device. Used as an air pump and capable of creating a high air pressure flow, the microblower is ideally suited to short duration, high-pressure airflow applications.
Generals — theirs and ours The Indian generals are more professional; Pakistani ones are ideological — therefore non-professional — and daring. It is often said that Pakistan has better soldiers but India has better generals. Strategy comes from the Greek work strategos which means general. Better strategy wins the war. A recent book by Tahir Malik, Richard Bonney and Tridev Singh Maini, Warriors after War (Peter Lang 2011) carries interviews of generals of both sides. Stereotypes: the average Indian officer will say Pakistan was a mistake; the average Pakistani officer will say India never accepted Pakistan. Being a general in a status quo state with unconquerable size is laid-back, intellectually fertile, and lacking in daring tactics; his counterpart has to be fidgety in peace, trigger-happy, non-intellectual and daring. From the Indian side those interviewed included: Maj-Gen Gagandeep Bakshi, Lt-Gen Kamaleshwar Dawar, General VP Malik, etc.