By Lucille Chi •
February 2, 2010
Last season NRDC announced it’s mission to save the Hawaiian island’s Whales, and now that this decision is facing the president we’re asking the Obama Administration to protect Hawaii’s false killer whales under the Endangered Species Act because the loss of even a few whales could endanger the survival of the entire population. These whales are among the most imperiled wildlife in the Hawaiian Islands with only 120 of them alive today.
Help grant federal protection to Hawaii’s coastal population of false killer whales. Shown below is one of my letters urging the Obama Administration to protect Hawaii’s false killer whales.
By Lucille Chi •
October 20, 2009
Have you seen the comic art for the 2010 Union of Concerned Scientists Scientific Integrity Cartoons? Shown above is a cartoon about science and the Endangered Species Act.
The entire calendar shows how “the absurdity of political interference in science is ripe for lampooning-and serves as a constant reminder of how vigilant we must be in defending science from politics.” The comics also highlight the need for the new administration and Congress to create a thriving federal scientific enterprise.
We’ve all done the elementary school math story problem: Would you rather have $10,000 right now, or a penny doubled every day for a month? Well, in the end, those of us who were greedy enough to take the $10,000 right up front ended up poorer than those who took the penny.
This problem seems silly to us though. Now what about this one. Would you rather take $1,000 right now or $4,000 three years from now? Chances are, you chose the immediate cash. Psychologists use the term ”delay discounting” to describe our inability to resist the temptation of a smaller immediate reward in lieu of receiving a larger reward later. Most people choose the smaller, more immediate reward over the larger “patience is a virtue” reward.
And no matter what the context, discounting stems from three factors: a bias for the present; uncertainty; and projected resources. We are a people who thrive on instant gratification; that’s one reason we love TV so much. It is also a contributing factor to the current economic crisis (and debt in general).
By Joe Walsh •
July 27, 2009
Unless you spent last week celebrating Apollo 11’s fortieth anniversary cut off from the world in your backyard model of the lunar module, you are no doubt familiar with the story of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s arrest two weeks ago, the “race in America” sturm and drang that surrounded the story last week, and the headline-grabbing role President Obama stumbled into at the end of his prime time presser.
By Timothy B. Hurst •
April 17, 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report on the potential impacts of climate change on regional U.S. air quality. The report concludes that CO2 and other greenhouse gases are a threat to human health.
By Timothy B. Hurst •
March 16, 2009
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson is expected to sign a memo terminating the National Environmental Performance Track program, a voluntary “beyond compliance” partnership designed to enhance environmental policy effectiveness.
By Timothy B. Hurst •
February 28, 2009
ZapRoot gives two nods to Red, Green, and Blue this week with their usual brand of critical eco-snark.
By Matt Embrey •
February 12, 2009
The conservative blogosphere, led by up and coming right wing-nut Michelle Malkin have been frantically pushing to label the stimulus package the “Generational Theft Bill,” and impressionable republican’s on the hill are echoing this ill-conceived branding quip. Generational Theft? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
By Levi Novey •
February 8, 2009
Back in September, rumors began circulating that the famous actor Val Kilmer was considering a run for governor of New Mexico in 2010. He’s now confirmed the rumors.
By Tom Schueneman •
January 21, 2009
In his first full day in office, President Barack Obama was delivered a letter from 97 businesses, organizations and activists outlining recommended first steps for coming to grips with climate change.
By Kay Sexton •
January 21, 2009
Sipson residents are not that down-hearted. They’ve been threatened with Runway 3 before, in 1952, but that time the government ran out of money …
