tagged w/ runoff
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Toxic algae is sucking the oxygen out of Lake Erie.
The lake is currently undergoing one of the worst algae blooms in decades, turning the water a scummy bright green. According to NASA, blooms like this did occur in the 1950's and 60's, but now phosphorus from farms, sewage, and industry have fertilized the waters.
After the 60's, increased regulations and improvements in agriculture and sewage treatment limited the phosphorus and helped to control the blooms. However, the shallower Western basin near Detroit has been more susceptible to the algae than other deeper areas.
The exact reason behind the bloom is a bit unclear, but scientists believe it could be linked to increased rainfall and, believe it or not, mussels. It seems the types of mussel, zebra and quagga that have invaded the lake feed on phytoplankton instead of algae, making it even easier for the blooms to occur, according to NASA.
While the algae doesn't directly kill fish, it's still not good. As the algae dies, it's broken down by bacteria which uses oxygen from the water. This oxygen removal creates areas where fish can't survive. In addition, if consumed, it can also create flu-like symptoms in people or even kill pets.
Former Vice President Al Gore spoke Thursday in Detroit on the matter, associating climate change with the algae problem. "We're still acting as if it's perfectly OK to use this thin-shelled atmosphere as an open sewer. It's not OK," he said. "We need to listen to the scientists. We need to use the tried and true method of using the best evidence, debating and discussing it, but not pretending that facts are not facts."
While in the past, some have criticized Gore, claiming that he's made exaggerated statements about the environment, yesterday's speech drew upon some pretty hard scientific evidence, leading many leaders at the International Joint Commission to listen a bit more intently.
More at the linkToxic algae is sucking the oxygen out of Lake Erie.
The lake is currently... more
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Public kept in the dark on Roundup link with birth defects
*Industry knew since 1980s, regulators since 1990s*
Earth Open Source
Press release for immediate release, 7 June 2011
Contact: claire.robinson@earthopensource.org
Industry and EU regulators knew as long ago as the 1980s-1990s that Roundup, the world's best selling herbicide, causes birth defects – but they failed to inform the public. This is the conclusion of a new report, "Roundup and birth defects: Is the public being kept in the dark?" co-authored by a group of international scientists and researchers and released today.[1]
The report reveals that industry's own studies (including one commissioned by Monsanto) showed as long ago as the 1980s that Roundup's active ingredient glyphosate causes birth defects in laboratory animals.
The German government has known about these findings since at least the 1990s, when as the "rapporteur" member state for glyphosate, it reviewed industry's studies for the EU approval of the herbicide. The European Commission has known since at least 2002, when it signed off on glyphosate's approval.
But this information was not made public. On the contrary, regulators have consistently misled the public about glyphosate's safety. As recently as last year, the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, BVL, told the Commission there was "no evidence of teratogenicity" (ability to cause birth defects) for glyphosate.
BVL made this comment in its rebuttal[2] of an independent scientific study published last year by Argentine scientists. The study showed that Roundup and glyphosate cause birth defects in frogs and chickens at concentrations much lower than those used in agricultural spraying.[3] The study was prompted by reports of high rates of birth defects and cancers in areas of South America growing genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready soy, which is engineered to tolerate being sprayed liberally with glyphosate herbicide.
In its rebuttal of the Argentine study, BVL cited as proof of glyphosate's safety the industry studies submitted for the Commission's 2002 approval of glyphosate (the approval that is currently in force).
But the authors of the new report obtained the approval documents and found that contrary to BVL's claim, industry's own studies, conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, showed that glyphosate/Roundup causes birth defects in experimental animals. In some cases, these effects occurred at low doses.
The German authorities and the EU Commission's ECCO expert review panel[4] whitewashed the findings and the Commission approved the herbicide.
Claire Robinson, a co-author of the new report and spokesperson for the sustainability NGO Earth Open Source, which published it, said, "This looks like a thirty-year cover-up by industry and regulators and it has certainly placed the public at risk. Roundup is used not only by farmers but by home gardeners and in school grounds and other public areas, in part because of false marketing claims that it is safe."
Commission delays review of glyphosate
A new, more stringent pesticide regulation comes into force in the EU this June. An objective review of glyphosate under this new regulation would almost certainly result in a ban. This is because under the regulation, independent studies have to be taken into consideration. Many of these studies, summarised in the new report, show that glyphosate and Roundup cause birth defects, cancer, genetic damage, endocrine disruption, and other serious effects, often at very low doses.
Glyphosate was due to be reviewed in 2012. But late last year, the Commission quietly passed a directive delaying the review of glyphosate and 38 other pesticides until 2015.[5]
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Public kept in the dark on Roundup link with birth defects
*Industry knew... more
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Really, it’s not the lingering after effects from all the tryptophan you ingested over Turkey Day—or the alcohol, if you spent the holiday with our family. Tomorrow is Election Day. Again.
Think of it like this: It’s your Sarah Palin-esque duty to God and country to hit the polls tomorrow. Or put another way: Your ass got bigger over Thanksgiving, and you really could use the outdoor exercise.
So scoot on over to your neighborhood precinct and cast a ballot on Tuesday. With the small turnout expected, you and your annoying neighbor really can make a difference this time.
To help, those do-gooders at Georgia Equality offer some advice. http://georgiaequality.org/
Vote for their candidates, and you cast a ballot for equality. Or a fair majority. Or something like that. It is Georgia, after all, so any candidate progressive enough to pursue an endorsement from the statewide gay rights group can’t be all bad.
We’ll let Jeff Graham (photo), Georgia Equality’s executive director, make the direct pitch on why you need to vote on Tuesday. He’s much more eloquent than us. (See above: tryptophan and alcohol.)
This is when it counts - such an incredibly small percentage of voters come out for runoff elections, the LGBT community in Georgia has the opportunity TOMORROW, November 30th to be a powerful and influencial force in some very important races!
Imagine - if we stand together and pledge to go to the polls and cast our vote, we can help shape the GA Supreme Court and help elect fair minded judges to the State Superior Court and the State Court of Appeals. Every one of the cases that these judges will hear is important to the individual parties involved; and many have implications for the larger community, including the LGBT community. Please consider the importance of these Judicial races, and what they could mean for LGBT individuals and families.
Also at stake in the upcoming runoff is the election of the Mayor of the City of Athens and Athens-Clarke County Commissioner District 5.
Your vote will make a difference in this election - remember…equality begins at home - please plan to vote tomorrow.
Here’s the cheat sheet of Georgia Equality endorsements:
Tammy Lynn Adkins, Georgia Supreme Court
Chris McFadden, Georgia Court of Appeals
Shelitha Robertson (second photo), Fulton Superior Court
Courtney Johnson, DeKalb Superior Court
Jared Bailey, Athens-Clarke Commission
Gwen O’Looney, Athens mayor
The statewide gay rights lobby endorsed 17 candidates on the ballot in November.
http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/view/Atlanta_gays_go_30-27_with_candidate_picks?gid=6698
Ten of those won and two were sent to the runoffs—Jared Bailey for the Athens-Clarke Commission and Chris McFadden for the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Georgia Equality has since endorsed three more candidates in races where their original pick lost—Tammy Lynn Adkins for Georgia Supreme Court, Shelitha Robertson for Fulton Superior Court and Courtney Johnson for DeKalb Superior Court. The group, aided by supporters in and around Athens, also offers up a runoff endorsement of Gewn O’Looney for Athens mayor.
Robertson survived a recount of her race for the Fulton judgeship.
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/recount-costs-challenger-votes-737121.html
She placed second to Kelly Amanda Lee, who wasn’t endorsed by any LGBT groups that picked candidates this election cycle. Georgia Equality’s initial endorsed candidate, Chloe Dallaire, placed fourth in a five-way race to replace retiring Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland.
Another interesting factoid about the Fulton race: Robertson, who has lobbied for gay votes at several LGBT events including the Pride parade, is an attorney credited with securing bail for the Eagle 8 when they were jailed in the botched Eagle raid in September 2009.
http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/category/eagle_raidReally, it’s not the lingering after effects from all the tryptophan you... more
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The numbers came back and Hamid Karzai, after you adjust for fraud, didn't quite make the over 50% he needed to keep his Presidential win without a run-off.
From Voice of America:
President Karzai says he welcomes the decision by the country's Independent Election Commission to hold a second round of voting on November 7 between himself and top challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
Now, this doesn't mean Karzai won't win again. He may be able to secure a majority without rigging the vote. Or Abdullah Abdullah could come out on top. The real challenge will be to tamp down the flagrant fraud so that Afghanistan's President, whichever of the candidates it might end up being, actually has some legitimacy.
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Relieved Republicans celebrated a resounding win in Georgia's hard-fought U.S. Senate runoff, a victory that denied Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and cemented the state's reputation as a GOP bastion.Relieved Republicans celebrated a resounding win in Georgia's hard-fought U.S.... more
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