Wednesday, 25 Jan 2006

Al's Well That Pens Well

Al Gore to publish new book on global warming

The self-proclaimed "former next president of the United States" -- currently at the Sundance Film Festival (and, may we point out, looking quite natty) to promote his new documentary about global warming, An Inconvenient Truth -- has announced that he'll soon be coming out with a new book on the same subject, with the same name. The book, to be published by Rodale (of South Beach Diet, uh, fame), will serve as a sequel of sorts to Al Gore's controversial 1992 best-seller Earth in the Balance. It will cover not only the overwhelming evidence that global warming is accelerating, but Gore's personal story of how the issue came to occupy a central place in his life. It will also serve as the kickoff for his 2008 run for the presidency. No, no, we totally made that up!


Yesssssss! Shot that sucker right in the -- damn, is it blurb-writing time already? It just so happens that today's topic will bring joy(stick) to the hearts of all gamers. A rabid video-game fan wonders how to align his hobby with his green principles, and advice maven Umbra Fisk tells him he can have his Quake and beat it, too.

Tadpole Position

Real-world combos of pesticides highly lethal to frogs, study shows

Frogs exposed to a pesticide mix similar to what's found on the average farm die in greater numbers than those dosed with just one pesticide, a new study shows. In new research in the online edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, scientists at UC-Berkeley exposed tadpoles to individual pesticides, and found that about 4 percent kicked it before they matured into frogs. But when the tadpoles were exposed to a mix of atrazine and eight other pesticides -- a combination that mimicked conditions on a real-world Nebraska cornfield -- the mortality rate rose to 35 percent. The chemicals suppressed their immune systems, making them vulnerable to infections and illnesses, and increased their transition time from tadpole to frog, lowering their survival chances. The researchers conclude that pesticides are likely playing a major role in the massive global decline of amphibian species. Frogs to humanity: Get us organic farming -- stat!


A moveable, recyclable museum made of old shipping containers and brown paper beams recently touched down on a pier in Santa Monica, Calif., where it's serving as a backdrop for the "Ashes and Snow" exhibit of photographs by Gregory Colbert. This Canadian artist -- whose large black-and-white images feature elephants, cheetahs, and whales interacting with humans -- aims to inspire viewers to a higher connection with nature. Writer Michael J. Kavanagh perused the exhibit and shares his assessment.

But It's Still Friggin' Raining in Seattle

2005 is hottest year on record, and 2006 weather is wacked

We know you've been waiting with bated breath to hear the outcome of the competition between 1998 and 2005 for hottest year on record, and NASA's results are in: 2005 wins! 1998 had El Nino, but 2005 had a remarkably warm Arctic. Congratulations, 2005, on your Highest Annual Global Average Surface Temperature Award! The top five hottest years on record have all occurred in the last decade, but that's probably just a coincidence. In related news, Edmonton, Alberta -- that's in Canada -- is forecasted to reach a balmy 50 degrees today, breaking a 72-year-old record. What if their igloos melt? Meanwhile, over in Europe, a vicious cold wave continues to cause penguins at zoos to be moved indoors, elephants to be fed vodka, and, oh yeah, people to die. Perhaps Europeans would do well to move to the Arctic.