Some tidbits from around the web...
- The U.S. House Energy and Commerce committee has passed a bill stating that greenhouse gases are not pollutants and therefore cannot be regulated by the EPA... this is a huge step backwards in regards to climate change... the bill places the ethical decision in the hands of corporations whose priorities are profit rather than environmental safety... the bill also demonstrates that the majority of our Republican-controlled House of Reps have absolutely no understanding of the nature of anthropogenic climate change (see this also)... as the committee's "Roadmap for America's Energy Future" indicates, Republicans are pushing for more offshore drilling and the construction of nuclear power plants, even though the one year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy looms from the other end of Spring, and Japan is suffering the catastrophic effects of three leaking nuclear power plants and over 15,000 people are dead from the recent earthquake.
- On a lighter note, Savage Minds discusses new initiatives to get anthropology information to students and the public, a link to a Kotaku post about a video game about poverty in which players must survive on $1,000/month, and a link to TAPS - an awesome example of what is possible when researchers collaborate online and perhaps a glimpse at the future of research... imagine... multidisciplinary teams working together from global locations via an online catch-all for data, publications, and info for the public and K-12 institutions. Middle Savagery features archival photos from the work and life of archaeologist Dorothy Garrod - the first female professor at Cambridge, and a nifty time lapse excavation video... another fantastic idea for communicating anthropology to the public.
- Astroblog talks about indigenous constellations of Australian Aborigines.
- Dr. Hastings posted a pie chart from the War Resisters League documenting how income tax money is spent in the U.S... depressing preview: 48% are used for military spending.
- Climate Progress features climate-challenge video games.
- Free permaculture videos!! And Permaculture Pathways proposes a new paradigm in food justice by using the phrase "food sovereignty" instead of "food security." (I am also currently working on a post on the topic of permaculture - look for it soon).