skippy the bush kangaroo

more stories that you won't hear about on the talking head shows this morning

oil spill dispersants shifting ecosystem impacts in gulf, scientists warn. - a seemingly feel-good story showed up this week on the nation's front pages and newscasts: the oil that befouled the gulf of mexico for 86 days is vanishing from the surface, leaving workers with little to clean. but scientists warn the oil's ecological impacts are shifting, not ebbing. - greenwire

global warming signs unmistakable, report says. - a new report by 300 scientists has flagged the past decade as the hottest on record and compiled 10 "unmistakable" indicators that the world is getting warmer. - cbc canada

restoring the paradise that saddam destroyed. - saddam hussein drained the unique wetlands of southern iraq as a punishment to the region's marsh arabs who had backed an uprising. two decades later, one courageous us iraqi is leading efforts to restore the marshes. not even exploding bombs can deter him from his dream - der spiegel

this just in: the earth is warming! - the evidence of a warming planet has been around about 20 years now, and despite what you hear from some quarters about global cooling, that evidence has continued to strengthen. - time magazine

making waste pay as methane project close to ok. - thousands of tons of methane billowing out from the county's landfill each year is now burned into oblivion, but could instead generate enough electricity to heat more than 4,700 homes - annapolis capital

radioactive boars on the rise. - as germany's wild boar population has skyrocketed in recent years, so too has the number of animals contaminated by radioactivity left over from the chernobyl nuclear meltdown. - der spiegel

three decades later, effects of ibm spill linger in endicott.- the chemical spill first discovered at the ibm facility more than 30 years ago continues to have a massive effect on the community the computer giant once helped build. there is no end in sight. the lawsuits, cleanup and occupational study are all years away from any kind of closure. - gannett news service

herbicide-tainted manure wilts organic crops across whatcom county.- whatcom county organic farmers and gardeners are reporting severe crop damage that appears to be linked to herbicide contamination in the manure and compost they obtain from non-organic farms and dairies for use as natural fertilizer. - bellingham herald

oil spill victims file class-action lawsuit.- gloria volstromer went to a hospital emergency room saturday afternoon with a rash, a headache and an upset stomach -- all symptoms of overexposure to benzene. now, gloria and her husband eugene are suing enbridge inc., the company responsible for last week's oil spill. - battle creek inquirer

oysters a sign of trouble from puget sound acidity.- pacific oysters in the wild on washington's coast haven't reproduced in six seasons. scientists suspect ocean-chemistry changes linked to the fossil-fuel emissions that cause global warming are helping kill these juvenile shellfish - seattle times

slime to sublime. - "green energy" is a buzz phrase heard a lot these days, but if one state legislator has his way, pennsylvania may soon become the capital of energy that is really green — as in algae. - pottstown mercury

what's happening to bird species? - a new study has provided new evidence that global warming is having a serious effect on natural systems, including the northward and inland movements of north american birds. - fond du lac reporter

farmers in denmark adjust to livestock antibiotic ban. - denmark is to hogs in europe what iowa is in the united states. so the danes can provide lessons for u.s. farmers and the obama administration when it comes to restricting the use of antibiotics on hog farms. - de moines register

floods in china: gushing. - many parts of china have been enduring the worst floods in years, but it is the flood-prone yangzi river that is causing most concern. with the downpours has come an unusual sprinkling of doubts about the ability of the colossal three gorges dam to keep the river in check - economist

u.s. house approves oil spill reform bill. - the us house of representatives on friday approved the toughest reforms ever to offshore energy drilling practices, as democrats narrowly pushed through an election-year response to bp's massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico. - reuters

uranium, not kryptonite, worries superman's hometown. - uranium, not kryptonite, has residents of superman's hometown on edge these days. the uranium can be found at the Honeywell plant, located just west of town and, as is frequently pointed out these days, just upwind. - st. louis post dispatch

gulf of mexico oil spill is just the latest blow for delacroix. - just outside the city, within earshot of the vocal crusade to save new orleans' culture after hurricane katrina, communities that were the hub of a unique wetlands culture for 200 years have quietly been slipping into history. - new orleans times picayune

alaskan fishery collapse holds important message for gulf. - the sudden and complete crash of the herring population in the wake of the exxon valdez spill holds a powerful lesson for the scientists and regulators charged with reopening the gulf of mexico's fisheries, according to two scientists who have studied the phenomenon. - mobile press register

big oil's pr machine takes a hit over celeb-backed greenwash.- the organisation behind the "be the one" video was not some cuddly-sounding environmental group, it was one that was funded by major oil companies. - london independent

leaking wellhead in bayou st. denis could be closed sunday. -officials on saturday began moving equipment into place to close a leaking oil wellhead in bayou st. denis in lower jefferson parish as soon as today. - new orleans times picayune

Labels: birds, bp, china, climate change, energy, fish, global warming, gulf coast, iraq, lawsuits, louisiana, new orleans, ocean, oil, washington

how extremely sad is this....tacoma's transit situation is so dire, they have resorted to asking folks to come to their bake sale to save bus service.

pierce transit, pierce county’s transit agency is in a dire financial situation. unless new revenue is identified, by 2012 the agency will be forced to cut service by up to 57%. service could be eliminated in most of east pierce county, northeast tacoma, gig harbor and steilacoom. lean more about pierce transit’s financial crisis from the news tribune.

every penny helps save bus service. next tuesday, march 2, 2010, 7:00 a.m. to 9 a.m. stop by frost park, next to the commerce street transit center (commerce st. and 9th st) for a free cup of coffee, buy yourself a breakfast cookie and find out how we can save bus service for pierce transit.- biablog

Labels: recession, transportation, washington