80 Dolphins Captured in Taiji, Japan, Their Fate Unknown, Please Help Stop the Slaughter

by Ellinorianne

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society has footage of 80 dolphisn that were captured at the Cove in Taiji, Japan.

If you are not familiar with the The Cove, it was made famous by the Oscar winning documentary of the same name, starring Ric O'Barry, activist and dolphin expert who has taking a surprising stand on what he thinks we should do about the future slaughters that might be taking place in the cove.

Every year the Japanese residents, beginning on September first, of the small fishing town of Taiji, round up dolphins and some of them are sold to aquariums around the world and the rest are slaughtered and their meat is sold for human consumption.

continued at Daily Kos....

California Unites Against Proposition 23.

by RLMiller

This year, climate activists have been on the defensive.  The climate bill died in the Senate.  Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R-Baked Alaska) effort to roll back the Clean Air Act came close to passing the Senate.  Politicians both Blue Dog and red complained that jobs were more important than climate.  In this environment, California's Proposition 23 -- an initiative to suspend the state's global warming law until unemployment reaches 5.5% for a year -- seemed like a slam-dunk.

But a funny thing happened.  Californians are more bothered by the ideas that Proposition 23's funding is 97% from oil companies and 89% out of state, and that it'll destroy our clean air, than they are by the myth -- and it is a myth -- of Proposition 23 saving jobs to be killed by the global warming law.

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A More Ancient World (Biodiversity Diaries): Mystery of Sex

by matching mole

Image from The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace

This is the first entry in what will hopefully be a series.  I'll start off with a brief description (more details at the end) saying that my goal is an edu-technical yet entertaining series about biodiversity and its role in our lives.  This is the international year for biodiversity and biodiversity is facing a crisis that is unprecedented within the existence of humanity.  So it seems timely.  I'll try and publish every Sunday evening or at least as many Sundays as I can.

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Dances on Walls: How flying women are making the planet cooler

by citisven

Last night, on our way to see some live music at a local cafe in San Francisco's Mission District, my friends and I were stopped in our tracks by an unusual looking Women's Building on 18th Street. This is saying something, as this building is far from ordinary in its normal state: wrapped in the Maestrapeace, a stunning mural honoring the healing power, wisdom and contributions of women throughout history, this multi-service center for women and girls is a roadside attraction on any given day.

Strobe lights beaming from the roof, ropes hanging from windows, loudspeakers on the sidewalk, and a throng of onlookers in curious anticipation, we knew something was up. Before we'd had time to get comfy on the curb, the lights dimmed and one of the most amazing public performance pieces I've ever seen was unfolding in front, or rather, ahead of us.

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BP and the Gov't: Setting Precedent, Reforming Image

by scorpiorising

The Gulf of Mexico, her marine life and the people of the Gulf coast are a political sacrifice, and one that the Obama administration had no right to make.

The lies of BP and our government are as toxic as the oil that remains in the Gulf, and the dispersant that BP continues to be used in full view, and apparently with approval from, our government. There is a massive cover-up taking place on the Gulf coast, in full view of the "public", the people, in full view of the corporate media, in full view of the world.

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Gulf Coast Residents are NOT the Problem. So What is?

by jamess

Even though many of us have Disaster Fatigue, for scores of hundreds of local Gulf Residents, this BP Crisis is very much their recurring daily Nightmare.

BP Oil Spill Compensation Fund Not Living Up to Promise
NewsInferno.com, News that matters! -- Sep 10, 2010

In an interview with USA Today, Feinberg promised a better response times as his staff weeds through old claims. "I’ve inherited a huge number of claims that have never been processed that need to be processed, especially business claims," he said. Such claims, he said, were placed on a "side track" by BP when it was handling the process.

According to USA Today, more than 46,000 people have filed claims since Feinberg took charge. By September 8, his staff had paid 10,252 claims for nearly $80 million. Most claims paid are small, with payouts of $5,000 or less, USA Today said.

So Ken Feinberg has inherited an extensive paper trail of bureaucratic procrastination;

While the Gulf Coast Residents, simply keep reaping the BP whirlwind ...

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Layer of oil on the Gulf sea floor

by worldforallpeopleorg

An inch or two of oily sediment lies at the bottom of the Gulf.

"And in that layer, she finds recently dead shrimp, worms and other invertebrates."

Admittedly, dead worms aren't likely to headline the national news. But they can effectively symbolize the struggle between environmental stewardship and recklessness for profit.

Joye's findings so far have found oil in depths ranging from 300 to 4,000 feet. Shallower waters, in particular, are potentially important not just for life on the bottom but for the entire marine ecosystem.

"A lot of fish go down to the bottom and eat and then come back up," Hollander says. "And if all their food sources are derived from the bottom, then indeed you could have this impact."

Figuring all that out though, will probably take many years.

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BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 110

by Gulf Watchers

Please rec the new Mothership #111 here. This one has expired.
The current ROV DIARY: Daily Kos Gulf Watchers ROV #374 - Darryl House

The digest of diaries is here

Rules of the Road

• We take volunteers for subsequent diaries in the sub diaries or ROV's as we have playfully coined them.
• Please rec this mothership diary, not the ROVs.
• Please be kind to fellow kossacks who may have limited bandwidth and refrain from posting images or videos.

PLEASE visit Pam LaPier's diary to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier for working on this!

continued at Daily Kos....

Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (9/11 9th Anniversary edition)

by Neon Vincent

Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment.

This week's featured story comes from Reuters.

U.S. resumes funding controversial stem cell research
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON | Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:48pm EDT

The U.S. government said it was resuming work on controversial human embryonic stem cell research on Friday after an appeals court ruled in its favor.

In the latest legal back-and-forth on the issue, a U.S. appeals court on Thursday granted an Obama administration request to temporarily lift a judge's ban on federal funding of research involving human embryonic stem cells.

More legal action is pending but the National Institutes of Health said it would resume work that had been suspended.

"We are pleased with the court's interim ruling, which will allow promising stem cell research to continue while we present further arguments to the court in the weeks to come," the NIH said in a statement.

More science, space, and environment stories after the jump.

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