Monday, 23 Jul 2007

Madness Takes Its Toll

Siberia attack leaves one anti-nuclear protester dead, others injured

A pre-dawn attack on an anti-nuclear protest camp in Siberia this weekend left one person dead and several others seriously injured. Twenty suspects have been detained for the crime, in which attackers wearing dark clothes and masks brandished metal pipes, chanted nationalist slogans, attempted to set tents on fire, and beat the crap out of as many of the 21 encamped environmentalists -- most of whom were sleeping -- as they could get their hands on. Authorities say they don't believe the protest itself -- which is focused on nuclear-waste processing at the state-owned Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Plant and inspired by concerns that Russia plans to process spent nuclear fuel from abroad -- was the motive for the hatefest. Instead, they say, it may have been as simple as an argument or theft. "Investigators are inclined to believe that the attack was motivated by hooliganism with the aim of stealing property," said a local police spokesperson. Oh, those wacky hooligans. What'll they do next?


Have you ever thought about where your carpet goes when you're done with it? Well, here's the answer: Most often, to the landfill. But it doesn't have to be that way -- just ask Robert Peoples of the Carpet America Recovery Effort, or CARE. No, really, just ask him: he's this week's InterActivist, and today he shares thoughts about his background at Big Chemical, why he's irritated that the '08 candidates are already campaigning, and the definition of insanity. Send Peoples a question by noon PDT on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Thames Fugit

England walloped by historic floods

It's a "summer of suffering" in England, as severe flooding wreaks havoc across the country. This weekend, floods in the central and southern part of the country left more than 350,000 people without drinking water and forced the evacuation of hundreds from their homes. The worst part, observers say, is that the waters are still rising -- and are on track to outpace record flooding from 1947. The crisis follows a June flood in the north that killed seven people and left 7,000 at least temporarily homeless. With the swollen Thames and Severn rivers threatening to burst and criticism rising almost as quickly, newly installed Prime Minister Gordon Brown flew over the affected areas and pledged to increase flood-defense spending. "Obviously like every advanced industrial country we're coming to terms with some of the issues surrounding climate change," he said at a press conference, noting that the government would review the future siting of infrastructure and homes with climate in mind.


A keen-eyed lover of British sitcoms has noticed that the Brits have smaller refrigerators than most Americans. He wonders if the shrunken fridges save electricity, and why they're not more popular here. Advice maven Umbra Fisk delves into our love of all things large, and puts forth a few fresh ideas for downsizing.

Go Get 'Em, Plugger

Plug-in hybrids would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, says new study

Plug-in hybrid vehicles, long extolled here at Grist HQ, seem always to elicit one question from doubters: Wouldn't running cars on electricity just mean more emissions from power plants? Answer: No! According to a new study from the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council, widespread use of plug-in hybrids -- which can travel up to 40 miles before using any gas, and can exceed 100 miles per gallon -- would significantly reduce U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, regardless of the energy source. Even if only 20 percent of U.S. drivers owned a plug-in by 2050, says the study, annual emissions would drop by 163 million tons. And if most Americans made the switch, the effect would equal removing about a third of the cars on U.S. roads. The study also dismissed the fear that plug-in technology would overload the grid. In sum: plug-ins -- though unlikely to be commercially available for a few more years, and probably pretty spendy when they do arrive -- are the shiznit.