On this day in 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled over 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska. I’ve seen varying estimates of how much oil was spilled, but I have read most estimates are low balled and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were.
I know I can’t forget the images of the oil soaked animals and the massive cleanup required. The effects of this man made disaster were so devastating oil is still trapped in Alaska’s gravel beaches 21 years later.
Only in recent years did Exxon begin to pay (more…)
Photo Credit: “Lisa Simpson’s Wallpaper” by pleasingfalsetto
According to pcworld.com teens may have built your iPhone. Apparently this news was disclosed by Apple itself on its website in a section of their site called “Supplier Responsibility”.
But I don’t own an iPhone and I thought I might be in the clear. Of course I wasn’t. My iPod said it was made in China and maybe it’s not lying to me but apple.com report says its inspectors visited facilities in the Czech Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China, and the United States.
When this story broke I saw it in several different places. My first thought was what about the kids in parts of Africa that are knee deep in discarded computers? I don’t think these kids should compete. If we want to care about some of them we should care about all of them.
Further reading: Breeding toxins from dead PCs
On Monday the Obama administration was welcomed to what is possibly the most important conference on climate change ever in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The conference aims to create an international accord on climate to replace the Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012.
The conference also featured speeches from representatives of countries that are endangered by rising seas and other effects of climate change like the Carteret Islands.
Slick Rick- “Treat Her Like A Prostitute”
An obvious choice and a classic…
Next week President Barack Obama and more than 100 other national leaders will start some intense talks on climate change, greenhouse gases and America’s part in reducing carbon emissions. So far the U.S. has been far more conservative in its cutbacks than the European Union.
The world is looking to the U.S. and China to significantly reduce emissions since the 2 countries are the biggest carbon emitters.
Yeah, but what about the prostitutes you ask? It is being reported that prostitutes of a Danish sex workers association are offering their services for free to delegates of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen.
Wow, now that’s dedication or is it? The prostitutes association officials are claiming they are doing this to protest an anti-prostitution initiative in Copenhagen.
The city sent out postcards to the city’s hotels saying:
In this April 8, 2009 photo, Mary Ann Schultheis displays the black dust that is covering the copper tubes in the air conditioner in the second story of her Parkland, Fla. home, while speaking about the problems that she is having with her house.
Believe it or not some people are allergic to their homes. Bad reactions to chemicals used in the building materials is usually to blame. There is a recent wave of bad reactions to homes in the U.S. lately and homeowners are blaming drywall from China.
For some this isn’t surprising because of the toxic toys made with lead from China recently. The drywall is said to emit sulfur compounds and angry homeowners are particularly concerned about their children.
Symptoms of the homeowners living in these homes made with Chinese drywall include:
“itchy eyes and skin, difficulty breathing, persistent coughing and bloody noses as well as corrosion of electrical wiring and home appliances.” ~AP
Yael Naïm- “Toxic”
This is Yael Naïm’s cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”. I think she captures the umm toxicity of the song and puts a focus on the lyrics and the sentiment of the lyrics by subtracting the bubble gum. (more…)
