Category Archives: News

Scientists Recommend Classifying Certain Plastic Waste As Toxic Trash

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PLASTIC WORLD 3

An international group of scientists think it is time to consider categorizing some plastic waste as toxic according to a recent LA Times article. Considering the damage to the environment and the health hazards posed by plastic debris and plastic pollution, many believe this is about time.

The throwaway mentality of all things plastic including single-use plastic bags and bottles has burgeoned into an ecological disaster of monstrous proportions in the last 30 years. The tide of plastic debris that has spread throughout the world’s oceans and across every continent poses health hazards to wildlife, marine life and the world’s populace.

It isn’t just the plague of plastic choking the seas as far as the Artic, or the enormous costs of cleaning up our coastlines reaching $500 million annually on the west coast alone. It is having to deal with the unintended consequences of mindlessly tossing vast quantities into the environment without recycling.

Scientists, researchers and marine biologists have found:

  1. Mutant fish with toxins stored in their fats thought to be caused by two General Electric manufacturing plants along the Hudson River that produced PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from 1947 to 1976.
  2. One third of the fish caught in the English Channel have plastic contamination.Researchers estimate that fish living at intermediate depths in the North Pacific swallow as much as 24,000 tons of plastic debris a year.
  3. Science Daily found BPA, or Bisphenol A,(used as a hardener in polycarbonate plastics and as the lining in food and beverage containers) has been linked to childhood obesity, along with adverse effects on the heart and kidneys of adolescents.
  4. The National Academy of Sciences just published a study conducted by Washington State University and recently reported on Fox News . The study found compelling evidence that Bisphenol A may negatively impact women’s reproductive systems, cause chromosome damage, birth defects and miscarriages.

Plastics do not biodegrade; they photodegrade, breaking down into smaller particles and microscopic bits in the oceans. These plastic bits and their chemical compounds find their way into the food chain as they are ingested by over 180 known marine species.

Degrading plastics leach toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A into the seas. Smaller fish and crustaceans mistake the plastic debris for food are then eaten by larger and larger species. Estimates are there are six times as much photodegraded plastic is in the oceans than is plankton!

Scientists are now calling for a similar approach to fighting plastic debris and pollution as has been used in the past to fight fluorocarbons and refrigerants worldwide. In particular, they want to classify PVC, polystyrene, polyurethane and polycarbonate as the most hazardous/toxic plastics.

The U.S. could take lessons from many countries when it comes to managing plastic trash, especially Japan where 77% of its plastic waste was recycled in 2010.

It should also be noted that Canada, the European Union, and China have banned BPA in some uses. The World Health Organization calls Bisphenol A a particularly dangerous chemical also linking it to cancer and birth defects.

A complete report on the damage done to the environment, entitled Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans, has been put together by Greenpeace. The 44 page report details the scale of contamination along with workable solutions.

Why a Romney Presidency Will Be Better for Jobs & the Environment Than Obama

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There is such extremism on both sides of the environment/green movement that the words common sense environmentalism are viewed as an oxymoron. The battle lines have been so fiercely drawn that compromise on any level is deemed impossible.

Rest in Peace

The constant rhetorical flame throwing on left, riddled with accusations that all conservatives want dirty air, dirty water and to plunder the planet brings nothing but derision and contempt from those who want a better environment tempered with a modicum of practicality. Such is the case of Romney vs Obama and the 2012 election.

From Concept to Execution

Many feel that Obama’s record on the environment can best be described as the politics of illusion brought to a new high. The concept of a stronger economy stimulated by growth of new green jobs has very strong surface appeal. Had Obama’s administration conducted a genuine evaluation into all the factors necessary to execute a successful program, the green jobs programs might have had a chance.

The truth is Obama’s green jobs policies have been a financial boondoggle for the taxpayers, littered with the likes of Satcom, Solyndra, Abound Solar and Evergreen Solar. Over thirty-five companies have already filed for bankruptcy or are nearing it according to Green Corruption.This is a spectacular record of failure for economy and the environment with cronyism and corruption reigning over common sense and the common good.

What Counts is Execution

All of which brings us to Romney, a politician with a record of balancing both the needs of the economy and the environment. When Republican Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachusetts he worked with a legislature comprised of 85% Democrats and he got things done.

According to the New York Times:

Today in Massachusetts, environmentalists credit Mr. Romney with helping to promote smart growth and reducing air pollution by putting in place tough regulations curbing certain toxic emissions from power plants. They also praise him for signing into law a bill embracing oil spill prevention measures.

Brian Gilmore of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts recently told USA Today that Romney struck a balance as governor balancing the needs of the environment with concerns about potential regulations and their impact on employers. In other words the environment didn’t suffer because Romney also looked forward, weighting the consequences of legislation on Massachusetts employers and workers.

This is a common sense approach to the government’s involvement to environmentalism. Romney has said, “thoughtful environmentalism need not be anti-growth and anti-jobs.” and his record in Massachusetts as well as his endorsements demonstrate that.

You can check out Mitt Romney’s environmental record and platform here. A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for jobs and the environment!

Would You Pay $60 for a Light Bulb Advertised to Last 20 Years? POLL

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Phillips recently announced the introduction of its $60 LED light bulb, touted to last 20 years, a claim that is impossible to prove or disprove…at least for the next 20 years that is.

The award-winning 10 watt LED bulb produces the light equal a 60-watt incandescent and is rated to last 20-years at 4-hours/use a day.

Black Rhino Officially Extinct; South African Rhino Kill Rate Up in 2011

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Wildlife charity WWF say that figures show that 341 rhinos have been killed in 2011 so far, which has already overtaken last year’s total of 333.  South Africa National Parks keep a record of the number of rhinos who have been found with their horns sawn off.  WWF think the rise is down to more people using rhino horn in Vietnamese traditional medicine.  BBC

​SAVAGE TREAMENT OF RHINOS

SAVAGE TREAMENT OF RHINOS

It always comes down to cold hard cash, that combined with the cultural heritage excuse.  You know, our ancestors did it, so we continue to do it and the consequences to damned because it’s tradition!

Shark finning and killing rhinos for their horns are one in the same hideous unforgivable act.  Cutting off shark fins for soup and killing rhinos for their horns to used for ornamental and pseudo medicinal reasons are barbaric acts of cruelty.

And so it is with a great deal of sadness that it is being reported that the sub-species black rhino is now officially extinct!

GENEVA — The Western Black Rhino of Africa has been declared officially extinct, and two other subspecies of rhinoceros are close to meeting the same fate, a leading conservation group said Thursday.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said a recent reassessments of the Western Black Rhino had led it to declare the species extinct, adding that the Northern White Rhino of central Africa is now “possibly extinct” in the wild and the Javan Rhino is “probably extinct” in Vietnam, after poachers killed the last animal there in 2010.

Take a good look at that suffering animal, it should be embedded into your consciousness. Now, what are you going to do to change this?

OBAMA FEDS RAID GIBSON USA; INTIMIDATION OF REPUBLICAN CEO THAT ALSO SUPPORTS THE TEA PARTY

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In the current case, the government said even if India says Gibson is not violating their laws, our government has interpreted it as a violation of their laws.

The Obama Administration’s raid on Gibson USA may have slipped under the radar, but it shouldn’t have. This is serious business because the brute use of force and intimidation by Team Obama against Gibson is unconscionable and dangerous.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Federal agents swooped in on Gibson Guitar Wednesday, raiding factories and offices in Memphis and Nashville, seizing several pallets of wood (worth a half a million dollars), electronic files and guitars. The Feds are keeping mum, but in a statement yesterday Gibson’s chairman and CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz, defended his company’s manufacturing policies, accusing the Justice Department of bullying the company.

“The wood the government seized Wednesday is from a Forest Stewardship Council certified supplier,” he said, suggesting the Feds are using the aggressive enforcement of overly broad laws to make the company cry uncle.

[...]

The Fish and Wildlife Service said they were looking for banned Madagascar ebony (in the past, it was used for fretboards). This is banned under The Lacey Act of 1900 – that’s what I said, 1900. While The Lacey Act has been updated over the years and it’s an obscure, little-used law.

Then the Feds said they were looking to see if the wood from India that Gibson uses meets every petty regulatory everything. In other words, the Feds are investigating whether or not Gibson violated Indian laws, not U.S. laws, Indian laws.

Their excuse is that Gibson USA has violated the 1902 Lacey Act a little known act designed to protect certain species. The real reason that federal goons from Obama’s Injustice Department are after Gibson USA is because the CEO of Gibson is a Republican and Tea Party supporter!

 

Oh, let’s not overlook the fact that Gibson is not a union shop or the fact the Gibson’s major competitor is a Democrat. According to Seeing Red AZ , “Chris Martin IV, CEO of the Martin Guitar Co., is a long-time Democrat supporter, donating tens of thousands of dollars to numerous far-left candidates and organizations, among them Barack Obama.”

Forget anything Team Obama says about wanting to create and save jobs. This raid is yet another example of their ham-handed tactics designed to destroy American jobs and support unions. Gibson employes workers in four U.S. factories and has continued to hire in a down economy.

Now want to hear something scary? The federal government has said that all Gibson’s problems will all go away if Gibson will have all of the work outsourced to India! Let’s just call this use and misuse of the Lacey Act.

One other thing. Do you own a piano, guitar, or other musical instrument that was purchased in the past (many years past) before these novel interpretations of law took place?

Did you know under this knuckle dragging enforcement of the Lacey Act by the Fish & Wildlife Service that if you try to sell your musical instrument you could go to jail several years and pay a minimum $1,000 fine?

So tell me again, “how’s that hopey changey thing working out for ya?”

 

Obama Policies Destroying Gulf Marine Environment; Rank Stupidity on Massive Scale

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This one makes my blood boil.

The Obama administration’s policies to permanently destroy the Gulf oil industry along with thousands of much needed jobs in this country is also causing irreparable damage to marine ecosystems. What we’re dealing with is irrational hatred of anything not perceived as green according to the Book of Obama.

Make no mistake, Obama and his team of radical progressives are incapable of making any decision that isn’t submerged in rank ideological stupidity. Team Obama talks green but then adheres to policies that destroy the environment.  Team Obama  supports industries they like and have decided will be the winners of the energy race.

The reality is they hate anything that competes with their vision of windmills for as far as the eye can see, electric cars and solar energy for everyone regardless of the costs, ergo their war against oil, gas, and coal.

The focus and raison d’être of this blog is common sense environmentalism.  The consequences of the government dictated dismantling of oil platforms in the Gulf is destroying tens of thousands of fish and their ecosystem of artificial reefs that grew as a result of the huge platforms in the Gulf.

According to FrontpageMag:

”"

The most prolific marine ecosystem on earth is being systematically destroyed on orders of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Where the BP oil spill failed miserably, Obama’s Dept. of the Interior now triumphs.

[…]

Dismantling their production platforms could cost oil operators “$6 billion to $18 billion in lost future production,” according to a report by Mark Kaiser and Allan Pulsipher of the Louisiana State University Center for Energy Studies.

The federal government, however, is unmoved by such projections. Production? Costs? Profits?—come on! Where’s the federal “environmental expert” affected by such stuff?

So let’s try this: the most prolific and “diverse marine ecosystem” ever recorded by marine scientists was created by the “facilities” the U.S. Dept. of the Interior is hell-bent on dismantling (offshore oil platforms). Acting as artificial reefs over the past half century, the natural beauty, teeming fish life, coral colonies, and “bio-diversity,” created by these structures is amply documented in several studies commissioned by none other than the U.S. Dept. of the Interior.

One recent report by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Minerals (a division of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior) boasts that “fish densities are 20 to 50 times higher at oil and gas platforms than in nearby Gulf water, and each platform seasonally serves as critical habitat for 10 to 20 thousand fishes.”

In fact, “villainous” Big Oil produces marine life at rates that puts to shame “wondrous” Earth Goddess Gaia. “The fish Biomass around an offshore oil platform is ten times greater per unit area than for natural coral reefs,” found Dr. Charles Wilson of LSU’s Dept. of Oceanography and Coastal Science (emphasis added). ”Ten to thirty thousand adult fish live around an oil production platform in area half the size of a football field.”

I look for and support common sense energy policy and environmental solutions. This policy lacks common sense and good stewardship of the earth’s marine environment. This is wonton destruction on a grand scale!

Accidentally drop your boat anchor over coral off the Florida coast and you’ll be fined up to $25,000 pursuant to federal regulations. Catch and keep a Gag Grouper, Amberjack or more than 2 Red Snapper per fishing trip in any U.S. federal waters and you’ll be fined $600 per fish, pursuant to federal regulations.

Yet endangered coral in the Gulf of Mexico is being blown up, blow-torched, and winched out of the Gulf by the ton to bleach in scrapyards — as mandated by federal regulations. Tons of Red Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack and thousands of other “endangered” or “threatened” fish species are being dynamited in the Gulf of Mexico and left as shark-chum—as mandated by the same federal regulations. Most of these “facilities,” you see, are “dismantled” with explosives detonated around their legs below the Gulf floor.

I once called Barack Obama the worst pResident for the environment ever. These federally mandated regulations prove this beyond a doubt.

For more read here.

MORE PLASTIC IN THE OCEANS THAN FISH… ONE BLUEFIN TUNA SELLS FOR $396,000

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There have been warnings for years …  huge areas in the oceans (5 gyres) that have more plastic trash and garbage than fish.

What we’re seeing is the product greed, selfishness, and short sightedness on the part of government, consumers, and governing agencies alike.

Combine that with the excessive over fishing of the many species of fish is it any wonder that the one Bluefin tuna would fetch almost $400,000.00?

tuna 224x300 <! :en >The overfishing of tuna causes environmental and economic problems around the world<! : >

Tuna at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, Japan photo by Hiratu Yasuyuki (source: Flickr Creative Commons)

According to the AP:

TOKYO — A giant Bluefin tuna fetched a record 32.49 million yen, or nearly $396,000, in Tokyo on Wednesday, in the first auction of the year at the world’s largest wholesale fish market. [...]

Japan is the world’s biggest consumer of seafood, with Japanese eating 80 % of the Atlantic and Pacific bluefins caught. The two tuna species are the most sought-after by sushi lovers.

They are in a severe population decline and many predict they could be extinct in the not to distant future.

The Japanese demand for the the Bluefin has depleted the Atlantic tuna by as much as 90% since the 1970′s.

Placing the Bluefin tuna on the endangered species list is currently under review for that status.

For more information on the Bluefin tuna and other fish species visit Seafood Watch here.

WHEN OUR OCEANS ARE BARREN …JAPANESE ATROCITIES … of WHALES, DOLPHINS, & SHARKS

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If you have been watching the Whale Wars on Planet Green, you already know what a treacherous existence it is for whales.

It isn’t bad enough that our oceans are treated like cesspools where areas have ten times as much plastic trash as plankton.  The trash is ingested by hundreds of thousands of birds and seas creatures … a time bomb  going off in their guts that silently kills.  The number of whales, in particular, that are found stranded with stomachs full of trash is increasing with greater frequency.

No, we have a few nations, Japan in particular, that behave with utter disregard to savage, mind numbing killing of  sharks just for their fins.  Harvesting sharks as a food source is one thing … killing hundreds of thousands of sharks just for their fins and tossing the rest of the carcasses away is criminal waste.


 

The Japanese apparently feel that all of  the oceans fish, sharks, dolphins, and whales are there to feed their voracious appetites for sea food and the rest of the world be dammed. It’s part of their culture, don’t ya know!

If you have seen The Cove you have viewed  the tragedy of the Japanese insistence of mindlessly killing dolphins every year. The worse part of this story is that the rationale for the dolphin round-up is so that business corporations like Sea World can add to their supply of performing dolphins.

What is particularly hideous about the slaughter of the dolphins and whales is that these aquatic mammals are intelligent creatures that possess self awareness.  They know who they are! They are cultural animals that can learn and teach one another. They mourn and feel pain.

According to the Sunday Times:

Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”.

Studies into dolphin behavior have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.

The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing. Some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in this way each year.

Just how intelligent are whales?

It has been shown that whales, including baleen species, exhibit exceptional acumen. Studies show that they can solve problems and use tools; show grief and joy; and of course they live in complex societies as a key adaptive strategy to their vast watery environment. Cognitively advanced, whales have powers of acoustic processing, communication and social intelligence.


LAUGHING OUT LOUD AT PETA

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One of the posts I continue to get traffic on every day (here) is about PETA and why so people dislike the organization.

I understand the emotional component of wanting to spare unnecessary pain to animals.   I don’t understand mean and childish pranks that generate media attention and little else, which is typically how PETA operates.

These two videos are a case in point!  Let’s just call this,  now you see the monkey Peta got upset about and now you don’t! It seems Dodge  Auto Company recently found itself in PETA’s crosshairs after it aired a commercial starring a monkey dressed up like Evel Knievel.


ta da!  This is how Dodge fought back!


Need I say more?  Actually the 2nd commercial is so funny, it might actually make me consider a Chrysler product!