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Let Down Your Giardia

Filtering water may not be the answer to most backcountry illnesses Went to the backwoods and ended up with a case of the runs? You probably blamed the water. But […]

A really depressing paper about climate change.

A few days ago Roger Pielke Jr. pointed to a paper (PDF) by Tim Dyson of the London School of Economics called "On development, demography and climate change: The end of the world as we know it?" Pielke called it "refreshingly clear thinking on climate change." That's true, if by "refreshingly clear" he means "weep-silently-aplogize-to-your-children-and-throw-yourself-out-a-window depressing." Abandon hope, all ye who download PDF here.

Dyson's argument unfolds in several stages, but the brutal conclusion is simple: "In all likelihood, events are now set to run their course."

Here are the five main points made, quoted directly from the abstract:

Marketing clean energy

Here's a very brief but quite interesting interview with Elise Soukup from the clean-energy marketing nonprofit SmartPower.

Theory in practice

I'm still pondering a reply to Jerry Taylor's thoughtful comment -- seems like it requires something substantive, and I never have time for substance. Sigh.

But let me just throw out one quick observation.

Even though, really, he’s not sexy

Even though, really, he's not sexy. So scrawny and white-bread. PETA adherents are even nuttier than I thought.

They voted Coldplay singer/guitarist Chris Martin and American Idol country crooner Carrie Underwood as the hottest herbivores. I'm taking that as an insult to us foxy veggies everywhere.

My picks from the list of celebs offered up as meat-eschewing hotties: Radha Mitchell, Angela Bassett, Fiona Apple, Esai Morales, and Samuel L. Jackson. Oh, and John Cleese. (Weirdest candidates: G. Gordon Liddy and Mary Tyler Moore.)

Ad features naked men and phallic-shaped sustainable lumber

Imagine my delight at seeing this on the side of my bus: "Choose your wood responsibly," beckons the ad for Seattle's Environmental Home Center, a mecca for green home improvement. (See the full ad in PDF form here.)

Car company makes bikes, lures the kids

So Cadillac introduces a bicycle. Is this good news or bad? On the one hand, you have a major car company endorsing the idea of human-powered transportation. On the other hand, they're doing it to -- you guessed it, brainiac -- sell more Cadillacs. The notion is to use this "unexpected brand contact" to reach younger buyers. Who, having just spent $500-$1900 on a Cadillac bike, will presumably think nothing of dropping another $40,000 on a luxury car.

Disturbing, yes, but mostly it's just weird. Whatever happened to a good old-fashioned Schwinn?

‘Toon In, Turn On, Drop Out

Do you draw funny stuff? Get in touch! Calling all doodlers, calling all doodlers. Grist is now accepting submissions for our soon-to-be-revamped cartoon section. We’re looking for political cartoons with […]

The Right-Whale Stuff

Emergency steps needed to save right whale from extinction, experts say The North Atlantic right whale could face extinction within the next century, according to marine scientists writing in the […]

A Little Dab’ll Do Ya In

Micro-exposure to common chemicals may cause big health problems Will wonders never cease? The Wall Street Journal, not typically known for its sympathy to green issues, had a blockbuster piece […]