E Coli Beef Recall Expands To Nearly 2000

Health,

Arctic Ice Melt, Psychopathic Capitalism and the Corporate Media

http://truth-out.org/news/item/11970-arctic-ice-melt-psychopathic-capitalism-and-the-corporate-media

E130, e120,

Radiolab Archive – Radiolab

http://www.radiolab.org/archive/
http://www.radiolab.org/archive/

Environment Ethics http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120

Noam Chomsky: The Fate of Humanity Is at Stake — Why Are Romney and Obama Too Cowardly to Talk About What Really Matters? | Alternet

By Noam Chomsky
Our politicians show an extraordinary willingness to sacrifice the lives of our children and grandchildren for short-term gain.
October 5, 2012 |
http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/noam-chomsky-fate-humanity-stake-why-are-romney-and-obama-too-cowardly-talk-about-what

Or alternatively see: http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/13836-issues-that-obama-and-romney-avoid

With the quadrennial presidential election extravaganza reaching its peak, it’s useful to ask how the political campaigns are dealing with the most crucial issues we face. The simple answer is: badly, or not at all. If so, some important questions arise: why, and what can we do about it?

There are two issues of overwhelming significance, because the fate of the species is at stake: environmental disaster, and nuclear war. The former is regularly on the front pages. On Sept. 19, for example, Justin Gillis reported in The New York Times that the melting of Arctic sea ice had ended for the year, “but not before demolishing the previous record – and setting off new warnings about the rapid pace of change in the region.” The melting is much faster than predicted by sophisticated computer models and the most recent U.N. report on global warming. New data indicate that summer ice might be gone by 2020, with severe consequences. Previous estimates had summer ice disappearing by 2050. “But governments have not responded to the change with any greater urgency about limiting greenhouse emissions,” Gillis writes. “To the contrary, their main response has been to plan for exploitation of newly accessible minerals in the Arctic, including drilling for more oil” – that is, to accelerate the catastrophe. This reaction demonstrates an extraordinary willingness to sacrifice the lives of our children and grandchildren for short-term gain. Or, perhaps, an equally remarkable willingness to shut our eyes so as not to see the impending peril. That’s hardly all. A new study from the Climate Vulnerability Monitor has found that “climate change caused by global warming is slowing down world economic output by 1.6 percent a year and will lead to a doubling of costs in the next two decades.” The study was widely reported elsewhere but Americans have been spared the disturbing news. The official Democratic and Republican platforms on climate matters are reviewed in Science magazine’s Sept. 14 issue. In a rare instance of bipartisanship, both parties demand that we make the problem worse. In 2008, both party platforms had devoted some attention to how the government should address climate change. Today, the issue has almost disappeared from the Republican platform – which does, however, demand that Congress “take quick action” to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency, established by former Republican President Richard Nixon in saner days, from regulating greenhouse gases. And we must open Alaska’s Arctic refuge to drilling to take “advantage of all our American God-given resources.” We cannot disobey the Lord, after all. The platform also states that “We must restore scientific integrity to our public research institutions and remove political incentives from publicly funded research” – code words for climate science. The Republican candidate Mitt Romney, seeking to escape from the stigma of what he understood a few years ago about climate change, has declared that there is no scientific consensus, so we should support more debate and investigation – but not action, except to make the problems more serious. The Democrats mention in their platform that there is a problem, and recommend that we should work “toward an agreement to set emissions limits in unison with other emerging powers.” But that’s about it. President Barack Obama has emphasized that we must gain 100 years of energy independence by exploiting fracking and other new technologies – without asking what the world would look like after a century of such practices. So there are differences between the parties: about how enthusiastically the lemmings should march toward the cliff. The second major issue, nuclear war, is also on the front pages every day, but in a way that would astound a Martian observing the strange doings on Earth. The current threat is again in the Middle East, specifically Iran – at least according to the West, that is. In the Middle East, the U.S. and Israel are considered much greater threats. Unlike Iran, Israel refuses to allow inspections or to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It has hundreds of nuclear weapons and advanced delivery systems, and a long record of violence, aggression and lawlessness, thanks to unremitting American support. (more…)

Cambridge Climate Research Associates
http://Climate-Research.Com
http://Climate-Research.TV
Cambridge Community Television
http://www.cctvcambridge.org/user/ccraHarvard Extension School
Global Climate Change
http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre130
Environmental Justice
http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre145
Environment Ethics
http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120
Cyprus International Institute (CII) (Harvard School of Public Health) http://Cyprus-Institute.us

Sea water use eases Australia’s water woes

Published on Oct 5, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Water is one of the world’s most precious resources.

But in many countries, climate change and growing populations are making it increasingly scarce.

A large number of countries, including Australia, are ranked as having a high level of water stress. They are easing the shortage by taking water from the sea.

When a desalination plant near Melbourne opens later this year, it will be Australia’s fifth and the world’s second-biggest.

It will be able to fill 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools with drinking water every day – which is a third of all Melbourne’s water needs.

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas reports from the state of Victoria.

Environment Ethics http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120

Earth Charter Dialogue – Princess Irene & Jan van der Venis

Published on Oct 5, 2012 by EC Costa Rica

This Earth Charter dialogue features Princess Irene of the Netherlands with Jan nav der Venis.

Environment Ethics http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120

Aurora: Sun’s Shimmering Energy Shocks Earth’s Magnetic Field

Published on Oct 5, 2012 by VideoFromSpace

Painterly auroras occur when charged particles from the sun get caught in our planets magnetic field and pulled down near one of our poles. The variety of colors are the result of different electromagnetic reactions with oxygen and nitrogen.

Environment Ethics http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120

Authors at Google: Salman Khan | The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined

Published on Oct 5, 2012 by AtGoogleTalks

Salman Khan joins Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt for a fireside chat about his new book, The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined.

“A free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere: this is the goal of the Khan Academy, a passion project that grew from an ex-engineer and hedge funder’s online tutoring sessions with his niece, who was struggling with algebra, into a worldwide phenomenon. Today millions of students, parents, and teachers use the Khan Academy’s free videos and software, which have expanded to encompass nearly every conceivable subject; and Academy techniques are being employed with exciting results in a growing number of classrooms around the globe.

Like many innovators, Khan rethinks existing assumptions and imagines what education could be if freed from them. And his core idea-liberating teachers from lecturing and state-mandated calendars and opening up class time for truly human interaction-has become his life’s passion. Schools seek his advice about connecting to students in a digital age, and people of all ages and backgrounds flock to the site to utilize this fresh approach to learning.”

Join us on October 17th at pm EDT for a Google Play hangout with Salman. Have a question for Salman Khan? For a chance to join the live hangout on air with Salman, check out the Google+ event page, and make sure to RSVP: http://goo.gl/v9D1o

That page is where you can also watch the Hangout.

Environment Ethics http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120

Stealing a U.S. election? Nothing’s easier!

Published on Oct 5, 2012 by RTAmerica

The U.S. prides itself on a free and fair election system. It’s the main hallmark of democracy. But as RT’s Anastasia Churkina reports, stealing an election in America is easier than 1,2,3.

Like us and/or follow us:
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http://www.facebook.com/RTAmerica

Environmental Justice http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre145
Environment Ethics http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~envre120