Ladywriter

Polar bears to be protected species May 14, 2008 Washington D.C. — (AP) - The Interior Department has decided to protect the polar bear as a threatened species because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming, officials said Wednesday. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne scheduled a news conference to announce the action. It comes a day before a court-imposed deadline on deciding whether the bear should be put under the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act. The department, in deciding to list the bear as threatened, will cite studies by its own scientists that the decline of Arctic sea ice off Alaska and Canada could result in two-thirds of the polar bears disappearing by mid-century, said federal officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been announced. Interior Department spokesman Shane Wolfe declined to comment ahead of the formal announcement. This is the first time that the Endangered Species Act has been used to protect a species threatened by the impacts of global warming. There has been concern within the business community that such action could have far-reaching impact and could be used to regulate carbon dioxide. But the decision includes provisions that specifically are aimed at protecting power plants and other energy-related entities, said an official who was familiar with the decision. Kempthorne proposed 15 months ago to investigate whether the polar bear should be declared threatened under the Endangered Species Act. That triggered a year of studies into the threats facing the bear and its survival prospects at a time when scientists predict a continuing warming and loss of Arctic sea ice. The Arctic sea ice serves as a primary habitat for the bear and is critical to its survival, scientists say. "The science is absolutely clear that polar bear needs protection under the Endangered Species Act," said Andrew Wetzler, director of the endangered species program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. A decision had been expected by early January, but the Interior Department said it needed more time to work out many of the details, prompting criticism from members of Congress and environmentalists. Environmentalists filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing a decision and a federal court on April 29 set a May 15 deadline for a decision.

History was made today when the U.S. Department of Interior formally listed the polar bear as a "threatened" species. The decision came in response to the Center for Biological Diversity's 2005 scientific petition and two subsequent lawsuits filed by the Center and its allies. It also came in response to your pleas to save the polar bear. More than 100,000 of the Center's supporters signed petitions urging the Bush administration to protect the polar bear. Thank you. This outpouring of political pressure was invaluable. Bush Still Hiding from Global Warming Today's decision was bizarrely schizophrenic in that the administration simultaneously enacted policies to prevent the polar bear's listing from affecting runaway greenhouse gas emissions. - The administration should have listed the polar bear as "endangered" rather than "threatened." An endangered listing would require a stronger protective standard. - The administration refused to designate and protect the polar bear's habitat as "critical habitat." The overwhelming threat to polar bears is the melting of Arctic sea ice. It is absolutely essential that this habitat is itself protected if we expect to save the bear. - The listing decision includes a "special rule" and a declaration that greenhouse gas emissions can't and shouldn't be limited by the Endangered Species Act. This poison pill attempts to completely undermine the entire point of the polar bear's listing: to reign in the primary actions driving the species extinct. Back to Court The Center for Biological Diversity will not let these atrocious policies stand. We've repeatedly beat the administration in court over the past three years and we'll do so again. We and our allies at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace will soon haul the Bush administration back to court to ensure that the polar bear and its habitat are fully protected. I'll keep you updated in the coming weeks about our progress. Thanks again for your help, and don't let the administration's futile efforts to undermine the Endangered Species Act get you down. This is a watershed moment in the global battle to combat global warming. Give yourself a pat on the back for helping to make it happen. Sincerely, Kieran Suckling Executive Director ************ The U.S. Department of the Interior has listed the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, which gives the bear important new protections. More than 16,000 WWF supporters spoke out for this icon of the North. Thank you! WWF also thanks the 22,000 activists who opposed the sale of oil and gas leases in Alaska's Chukchi Sea, within prime polar bear habitat. Unfortunately, despite an outpouring of public opposition, the Minerals Management Service recently opened nearly 30 million acres of the Chukchi Sea to oil and gas exploration. Because of the polar bear's new threatened status, however, MMS will need to ensure that its actions do not jeopardize the polar bear's continued existence. The polar bear was listed due to the threat from climate change-induced loss of its sea ice habitat. Based on current ice models and projections for polar bear populations, experts believe that two-thirds of the world's polar bear population may be lost by 2050. While the Endangered Species Act listing is an important step forward, urgent additional action is needed by governments and societies to reduce our carbon footprint. Please forward this update to your friends and family and urge them to get involved as WWF activists. We are counting on your continued support as a part of our team. Thank you again. http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=LY2flsK66RYB3ufN3dOLEA.. Sincerely, Margaret Williams Priority Leader, Bering Sea and Kamchatka World Wildlife Fund **************** It's taken several years, lawsuits, and thousands of letters from you, but the Bush Administration finally listed the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act today. I'd love to tell you that that's great news, but there's a BIG catch. The Administration listed the polar bear as threatened instead of endangered, and invoked a clause (known as a "4(d) exemption") that excludes global warming from the list of threats the federal government has to consider when trying to protect polar bear habitat. Global warming is the biggest threat facing polar bears today, and this little clause eliminates any protection the listing should have given to the polar bear. In fact, global warming is the very reason we sued the Administration for protection of the polar bear in the first place. So who's really being protected here? Polar bears or the oil industry? The listing specifically says that federal agencies don't need to consider the impact of global warming pollution on the polar bear. But there's more: the listing also proposes a separate regulation that reduces the protections the polar bear would otherwise receive under the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, in the months leading up to this weak decision, the Administration conveniently sold oil leases in prime polar bear habitat off Alaska's northwest coast. Are you starting to get the picture here? Well, if your temperature is rising like mine is, there are a couple of things I'd like you to do about it: - First, join our new Rapid Response Network. Here's how it works: we will send you a pop up notice about breaking news stories like this, as well as an easy way to click to promote the article to the Most Popular list of sites like CNN, Reuters, Yahoo News and a dozen other online media outlets. If you have just 5 minutes to spare each week, you have time to be a Rapid Responder! http://members.greenpeace.org/survey/start/58/ - Next, please consider a donation today to help us fight for polar bears and ramp up our campaigns to stop global warming. We're not going to stand by and let the Administration get away with this, and I hope you won't either. https://secureusa.greenpeace.org/securedonate/index.php?from=05142008 Despite the loopholes the Bush Administration has inserted, it is crystal clear that without your tremendous support, they would have continued to ignore the polar bear until it disappeared altogether. I thank you for your determination and continued support. For the future of polar bear, Melanie Duchin Global Warming Campaigner, Alaska

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7.8 damn that's a shaker.

lol

Some supplies have been allowed into Burma but many more tonnes of aid, and dozens of foreign staff, have not. cuz the govt don't give a flying fuckin shit for their poor citizens. Ours is no better. They totally tanked the Katrina disaster. Such gross incompetence is deliberate population control. Its easier to let ppl die off from "natural disasters" then to waste bullets and look like bad guys for committing systematic slaughter.

Dear friends, Spread the good news! European Commissioners yesterday overturned the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) "safe to eat" verdict for three new GM crops -- two varieties of GM maize and one variety of GM potato. This means the agro-chemical companies can't commercialize these crops in Europe for now. BASF's GM potato was only one European Union vote away from being released commercially. But the Commission has sent it to the back of the authorization queue. For the first time, the Union's most senior lawmakers have publicly doubted the safety of GM crops. The EU Observer paper explains: "The European Commission normally adopts decisions based on the opinion of EFSA, which anti-GMO campaigners complain bases its investigations on data provided by the GM industry itself. It has always declared any GM crops it has studied to be safe." We didn't get exactly what we wanted from today's meeting (i.e. EU decision to reject these GMOs outright), but public pressure and the weight of scientific opinion got us something that will send the agro-chemical industry and pro-GMO politicians reeling. Anybody who knows the Commission can tell you: It wouldn't have happened without public pressure. All those postcards to Commissioner Dimas, emails to all the Commissioners, the petitions, the blog comments and the many actions these past six months -- they worked. What's more, Wednesday's decision means that the EFSA's GM crop evaluation process is broken -- so sending GM crops back to the same body over and over isn't good enough. There's more to do clearly, but this decision is an historic milestone for the movement, and a stumbling block for the GMO industry. Many of you have been putting pressure on the industry and politicians about GMOs for years, others joined in only weeks or months ago. It's been a pleasure and an honour to journey with you all. It'll be a while still before we're rid of GMOs for good, but we'll get there. The European Commission is so opaque, we'll never know who voted what way. International, collective action can feel a bit like like that -- which is why it's so important to keep at it, keep sharing, and learning. Greenpeace can't do campaigns like this without financial support from 2.8 million people all over the world just like you. If you'd like to support our work with a donation, you can give now online. Stay in touch, and spread the great news! Best wishes, Everyone at Greenpeace

dust,pollen,dander, poison ivy and Virginia creeper , ragweed, golden rod, fresh pineapple, and penicillin. Year round its vacuuming a couple times a day and since dust settles after 4 days you can guess what happens on that fifth day. I can usually keep the inside to an allergen minimum until the dog and 2 cats start shedding winter coats. Of course okie insists on shedding on me and she is my primary cause of allergy eyes. The over the counter or singulair work out fine if I need a dose of something. If I look at pi or creeper I get a rash then I'm running for the toothpaste >.<

One of the consequences of trying to be decent to the ex puke is that he gets the God complex ~ he's always right and you're always being a selfish bitch. Id tell him fuck you and your work schedule Mothers Day the mother gets the kid if she wants. If you aren't adamant about certain things from early on (mothers day your birthday whatever) he will try to walk all over you.

good luck with the move enjoy the sunshine!

he could cry religious rights violation and sue or the school board can watch those Harry Potter movies and take some valume wtf

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/

Help save the home of the black bear! Your voice is needed to protect 200,000 acres of Mississippi Delta wetlands—habitat of the endangered Louisiana Black Bear. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Environmental Protection Agency is using its "veto authority" to stop the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from constructing the controversial and environmentally destructive Yazoo Pumps project. For the final veto to go through, however, the EPA needs to hear from as many people as possible that want this project gone! here

Time is short: You can help polar bears today The Bush Administration has until May 15 to decide whether to place the polar bear on the Endangered Species list. Tell Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne that the polar bear, and its fragile Arctic habitat, requires protection from the effects of global warming. Sign the petition today: http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/polarbears

Scandalous but good business

coughbullshitcough

damn, something with Shoot in the title always sounds so promising

AC is now 800 years old

ACTION ALERT Historic Vote on GMOs Dear friends, An important vote on GMOs is due to take place on 7 May in Brussels. The agro-chemical industry wants to get EU permission to grow pesticide-producing maize plants and a GM potato that contains an antibiotic resistant gene. We want EU Commissioners to say NO when they discuss the applications on 7 May. Can you join us in writing directly to all the European Commissioners this week? The agro-chemical industry is already bombarding the Commission with lobbyists and messages. Greenpeace activists and campaigners are on the ground in Brussels, too. But with your voice, and your network of friends, we can deliver a louder, more direct message to Europe's top politicians. We have contact details for all 27 European Commissioners, talking points you can use in your message to them, and links to further reading. The vast majority of EU citizens are opposed to GMOs, and emails direct from people who care ? in Europe, around the world ? can really work. Please click here to take action. http://www.email.greenpeace.org/dzhhhjjq_wegcpqq.html?RECIPID=903477 Thank you for taking action before 7 May and for campaigning this far with us already. We will keep you informed! Everyone at Greenpeace International

Dear friends, Rocketing prices threaten to starve millions and make us all less secure -- sign the emergency petition for action to stop the world food crisis Sign the PetitionWatch the Video Have you noticed food costing more when you shop? Here's why -- we're plunging headlong into a world food crisis. Rocketing prices are squeezing billions and triggering food riots from Bangladesh to South Africa. Aid agencies say 100 million more people are at risk of starvation right now[1]. In Sierra Leone alone the price of a bag of rice has doubled, becoming unaffordable for 90% of citizens[2]. Fears of inflation stalk the whole world, and the worst could be yet to come. We need to act now -- before it's too late. As Ban Ki-Moon holds a high-level UN meeting on the crisis, we're launching an urgent campaign with African foreign minister and human rights campaigner Zainab Bangura. Click below to see Zainab's video message and add your name to the food crisis petition -- we need to raise 200,000 signatures by the end of this week to deliver a massive global outcry to leaders at the UN, G8 and EU: http://www.avaaz.org/en/world_food_crisis/9.php The prices of staple foods like wheat, corn and rice have almost doubled, and the crisis is slipping out of control -- so we're calling for immediate action on emergency food aid, speculation and biofuels policy, while asking forthcoming summits to tackle deeper problems of investment and trade.[3] The global food crisis touches and connects us all, creating a tsunami of hunger for the poor and damaging economies and squeezing citizens in the rich world too. But solutions are on the horizon if leaders act fast [4] -- sign the petition at the link below now, then forward this email and ask friends and family to do the same: http://www.avaaz.org/en/world_food_crisis/9.php With hope, Paul, Galit, Ricken, Graziela, Iain, Mark, Pascal and the whole Avaaz team Sources: 1. BBC: "How to stop the global food crisis": http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7365798.stm "The New Economics of Hunger", Washington Post, 27 April 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042602041_pf.html 2. Zainab Bangura, Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone, video message to Avaaz members http://www.avaaz.org/en/world_food_crisis/9.php 3. Chinese news citing World Bank figures: http://www.cctv.com/english/20080426/102406.shtml Reuters: "Rising food prices to top UN agenda" http://www.reuters.com/article/gc08/idUSL1890947220080424 4. See BBC article above, and "Rising Food Prices" by Alex Evans (Chatham House report) http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/11422_bp0408food.pdf UN scientific report on fixing the world food system: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7347239.stm The Guardian: "Credit crunch? The real crisis is global hunger", George Monbiot http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/15/food.biofuels

Officials say the majority of teen girls taken from polygamist sect are pregnant or had a baby Texas child welfare officials say almost 60 percent of the underage girls taken in a raid on a polygamist compound in west Texas either have children or are pregnant. Of the 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 who are in state custody, 31 either have given birth or are expecting, said Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar. "It shows you a pretty distinct pattern, that it was pretty pervasive," Azar said Monday after releasing the latest figures. Under Texas law, children under the age of 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult. A girl can get married with parental permission at 16, but none of these girls is believed to have a legal marriage under state law. Church officials have denied that any children were abused at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado and say the state's actions are a form of religious persecution. State officials took custody of all 463 children at the ranch controlled by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, saying a pattern of teen girls forced into underage "spiritual" marriages and sex with much older men created an unsafe environment for the sect's children. FLDS spokesman Rod Parker said he does not believe the CPS count is accurate. He said that from talking to ranch residents, he believes at least 17 of the girls may actually be adults but have been labeled by child welfare authorities as minors. Agency officials have called into question claims of adulthood among the girls since the raid and have in some cases disputed documentation provided, saying the girls look younger than 18. Because many FLDS members share similar names and have complicated family relationships, identifying all of the children taken into custody has been a challenge. "I do have serious questions about how they are determining age in there," said Parker, who is trying to get a better count from FLDS families. He said the sect is at a disadvantage in proving names and ages because law enforcement confiscated every document that might show family relationships. 1| 2 NEXT > if an adult put their hands on my 13 yr old daughter I would kill him. No cops, no courts, just me and my shovel.

Crude prices tank on stronger dollar, slumping demand; gasoline hits 15th-consecutive record. NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices fell sharply Tuesday as the market absorbed data showing demand is falling even as supplies are rising. Gas prices inched higher at the pump, continuing their record-breaking press toward $4 a gallon. Light, sweet crude for June delivery fell $3.65 to $115.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after a monthly Energy Department report showed demand for finished petroleum products dropped 8.5% in February from January, and demand for gasoline fell by 6.2%. Though some of that drop can be attributed to February's being a shorter month, it still suggests high prices are cutting American's appetite for fuel. "That's a dramatic drop," said Linda Rafield, senior oil analyst at Platts, the energy research arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. At the same time, a British refinery strike that raised concerns about supplies ended Tuesday, and analysts surveyed by Platts expect the Energy Department's weekly inventory report on Wednesday to show domestic crude supplies rose last week. "The two combined [rising supplies and falling demand] do not bode well for $120 oil," Rafield said. A stronger dollar gave investors another reason to sell crude Tuesday. Commodities such as oil are less effective hedges against inflation when the dollar is gaining ground, and a stronger greenback makes oil more expensive to investors overseas. Analysts believe oil's run from $65 a year ago to a record near $120 yesterday has been fueled in large part by the dollar's protracted decline. Energy investors will be closely watching the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates Wednesday; analysts believe a quarter percentage point rate cut is already factored into the oil market. A decision to hold rates steady could further strengthen the dollar, sending oil prices down. But because rate cuts tend to weaken the dollar, a larger-than-expected rate cut could send oil to new records over $120. The market will also be keeping a close eye on Nigeria, a major supplier of oil to the U.S., where a work slowdown and militant attacks have cut production. "Nigeria's always a factor in oil prices, it's always had an ongoing issue with oil outages, but we're seeing a bit of an increased activity in militant attacks," said Mark Pervan, a senior commodity strategist at the ANZ Bank in Melbourne, Australia. "They'll keep a high floor on the price." Gas sets new record: At the pump, the national average price of a gallon of unleaded gas rose 0.4 cent Tuesday to a record $3.607 a gallon Tuesday, according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Diesel prices rose 0.1 cent to a new record national average of $4.244 a gallon. Many analysts expect gas prices to peak within the next month, and some say they could rise as high as $4 nationally. Many parts of the country, particularly in California and Hawaii, are already paying more than $4. Gas prices have been following oil prices higher, but they have also been responding to gasoline supply concerns. Platts' survey shows analysts predict the Energy Department report will show gasoline supplies fell last week. Other energy futures followed oil lower Tuesday. In other Nymex trading, May gasoline futures fell 6.26 cents to $2.9681 a gallon, and May heating oil futures fell 3.24 cents to $3.2664 a gallon. June natural gas futures fell 42.9 cents to $10.90 per 1,000 cubic feet. In London, Brent crude futures fell $2.31 to $114.43 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Central bank rate cuts have devalued the dollar, fueling the rise in crude prices; but if rate slashing stops, oil's rise may ease. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Crude oil prices and the value of the dollar have been marching in different directions for months. But that may shift if the Federal Reserve signals on Wednesday that its rate-cutting campaign has come to a close. One factor that has sent the dollar down and oil up recently has been the Federal Reserve's months-long round of rate cuts. In an attempt to stimulate the ailing U.S. economy, the central bank has cut rates by three percentage points since September. But the rate cuts are also inflationary, weakening the dollar and sending oil prices higher. "The weak dollar is a major detriment to the price of oil," said Stephen Schork, publisher of the energy industry newsletter The Schork Report. "It's keeping prices artificially high." Since this time last year, the dollar has plummeted over 10% against global currencies, and oil has climbed about 80%. As the dollar continues to depreciate in value, investors have bought oil futures as a hedge against inflation. Also, oil is priced in dollars worldwide, so a falling dollar provides less incentive for oil-exporting countries to increase output, or for foreign consumers to cut back on oil use. As a result, oil traders will be closely watching the Fed on Wednesday. Though most economists have forecast a quarter of a percentage point cut to its key funds rate, many economists are also predicting the Fed will hint that it will keep rates steady, or even raise rates in future meetings, to protect against inflation. "All of us are hoping for a 25-point cut with a statement that that's it," said MF Global energy analyst John Kilduff. "Some of us wouldn't mind if there's no cut." Whispers that the current round of rate cuts is coming to an end may send crude prices lower. "There is a very strong correlation between the dollar and crude, so it all depends on how dollar reacts to the news," said Schork. "If the dollar appreciates, then that will give crude leeway to move downward and drive a stick into this bubble" Even the head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said that the weak dollar is a big reason behind record oil prices. According to a report in Algerian government newspaper El Moudjahid on Monday, OPEC president Chakib Khelil said that crude prices probably would fall if not for dollar weakness. In fact, Khelil said if the dollar begins to gain back some significant ground, crude prices may fall of a cliff. "If [the dollar] strengthens 10%, there is a good bet that [oil] prices will fall by $ 40," said Khelil. But until that happens, don't count on OPEC to increase production again. In September, OPEC acknowledged that there was not enough crude to supply growing demand, and they allowed countries to produce more oil. U.S. crude supplies have steadily increased since then, even as demand has fallen in the face of slowing consumer spending. But oil prices have still jumped 58% since September, leading analysts to suggest that OPEC shouldn't increase production further since it probably won't work. "The market went haywire regardless, so OPEC just decided they'd stick to their guns - and deservedly so," said Schork. "From their perspective, there's enough crude on the market, case closed."