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Two matters of absolutely no consequence

An item in the recent Grist List set off a firestorm of controversy, both inside and outside Grist. I refer, of course, to the purported status of Thandie Newton as a "B-list movie star." One staffer argues that Newton's presence in the year's Best Movie Oscar winner vouchsafes her A-list-ness; similarly, a British reader asks, "Doesn't a BAFTA win qualify one as an A-list star?"

Well, no.

Halloween VIV: The Inconvenient Truth

I finally got around to watching the trailer for the new Al Gore/global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Oy.

Readers talk back about Obama, radicals, religion, and more

  Re: For Those About to Barack Dear Editor: I used to have a great deal of respect for Barack Obama, but no longer do. He voted for the egregious […]

Charles Munn, a pioneer of South American ecotourism, answers questions

Charles Munn. What work do you do? I am chair of the board of Tropical Nature, a nonprofit conservation group specializing in conservation through ecotourism. What does your organization do? […]

Ask the feds

Via The Washington Post, the Department of Energy wants to block Montana's attempts to regulate the impacts of coalbed methane extraction on local water supplies.

The state's Board of Environmental Review has voted in favor of requiring extraction companies -- which use large quantities of water to retrieve natural gas from coal seams -- to replenish those groundwater supplies in their original, nonpolluted state. But federal officials and Wyoming's congressional delegation object that the move could slow down the pace of energy development in Montana and neighboring states.

As Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer told the Post:

We want to develop energy in Montana, but we want to do it right. Here's the bottom line with the federal government: They're usually not helpful, and they weren't this time, either.

How's an honest man to do his job?

Dirk in a Full Nelson

Debate over offshore drilling may hold up Kempthorne’s confirmation A Bush administration plan to open 2 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling has created […]

A Tour for What Ails Ya

Charles Munn, a pioneer of S. American ecotourism, answers Grist‘s questions Charles Munn says that much rainforest ecotourism is a “buggy disappointment,” and not very “eco” to boot. As leader […]

I’m Wreckin’ It

Greenpeace investigation links European fast food to Amazon destruction Which came first, Chicken McNuggets or deforestation? A recent Greenpeace investigation has uncovered the depressing answer: the McDonald’s supply chain begins […]

Won’t someone think of the chicks?

A family drama is unfolding in an eagle's nest near Washington D.C.'s Woodrow Wilson Bridge. A male bald eagle, nicknamed "George," has been left alone in the care of a nest of near-hatchlings. His mate, nicknamed "Martha," is recovering at a wildlife rehabilitation center after she was attacked by another female bald eagle (who was apparently not given a nickname, so I'll call her "J. Lo").

Smells like french fries

From an article in E Magazine:

According to Kathryn Phillips, manager of Environmental Defense's California Clean Air for Life campaign, it [biodiesel] actually increases nitrous oxide (NOX) emissions, which react with other chemicals to create ground-level ozone, or smog, significantly impacting lung development in children.

After glossing over the problem by telling us that "the biodiesel industry is working on methods to reduce NOX via an additive or catalyst," the author then spends the next 1,310 words telling everyone they should burn it not only in their cars but also in their furnaces.