You are just a phone call away from turning your surroundings lush green, thanks to a helpline jointly launched by medical students, school children and scientists here for making Lucknow greener.
Under the banner of the Sky Foundation — an NGO working in the field of environment here, people from all walks of life have started the "On Call Plantation Scheme" (OCPS).
"Those interested to get saplings planted at their doors or in their vicinity, just need to call 9452415725 or 9616511633, and within 24 hours the green job would be done," Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, senior assistant director of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), who is also involved with the OCPS, said.
"Though under the aegis of Sky Foundation, we have been taking up environmental issues for the last several months, we decided to offer the OCPS facility from this month to widen our reach... Now people from various localities and colonies approach us for planting saplings and get associated with us," he added.
Since the start of this month, around 50 saplings have been planted on calls made by residents of different localities of the city, reports IANS.
"All those associated with the plantation scheme are also involved in its promotion. They tell their relatives, friends, neighbours, who then get to know about our joint initiative and call us for carrying out the plantation," Srivastava said.
The Sky Foundation is not charging any fee for the sapling plantation now, but its members feel that with an increase in the demand of saplings they might have to opt for a price tag for the saplings.
"Let's see what happen in future... As far as possible we will try to continue OCPS free-of-cost... But at the same time, you should also keep it in mind that the saplings under the OCPS are being managed by us," said Bhupendra Singh, an MBBS student enrolled with the Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), who is also involved with OCPS.
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Barack Obama under fire for grossly underestimating Gulf oil spill
House commission finds that administration lost public trust and may have sabotaged clean-up operations
The Obama administration lost the public trust and may have sabotaged clean-up operations in the Gulf of Mexico by grossly underestimating the amount of oil gushing from BP's broken Macondo well, according to a White House commission appointed to investigate the spill.
In a scathing critique of the administration's handling of the disaster, the two co-chairs of the commission yesterday said government officials made a serious blunder by releasing early estimates of the spill that were about 60 times too low.
"It's a little bit like Custer underestimating the number of Indians on the other side of the hill and paying a price for that," Bob Graham, a former Democratic senator from Florida, told reporters.
Government agencies have come under sustained assault from independent scientists for initial estimates that put the size of the spill as low as 1,000 barrels a day – even as footage from the ocean floor showed a huge cloud of oil and gas billowing out of the BP well. A team of scientific experts assembled by the government eventually raised the estimate to more than 60,000 barrels a day.
In testimony yesterday, the coast guard commander Admiral Thad Allen insisted the underestimates had had no effect on the response. "The answer is no," Allen said. "We assumed at the outset this would be a catastrophic event."
But Allen's assertion made little headway with the other co-chair of the commission. "I would assume that it's common sense that a flow rate will determine how many skimmers you think you need, how many thousand feet of boom you bring into the area, what you are going to do with respect to dispersants," said William Reilly, who served as chairman of the Environmental Protection Agency under the first President Bush. "How do you deploy your resources if you don't know how serious the threat is?"
The low estimate may also have encouraged BP to take the ultimately unsuccessful step of attempting to cap the well with a giant dome. "I think it did have an impact … on the issue of the containment technology," Graham said.
The charges that government officials badly misjudged or misrepresented the gravity of the spill are extremely sensitive for the Obama administration, which claims repeatedly that its environmental policies are rooted in sound science.
Graham and Reilly said the disconnect between official assertions and the footage from the sea bed badly undermined public confidence in the oil spill response.
"I think it set a context for public scepticism about future information," said Graham.That scepticism rose again last month when government agencies produced a report saying about 75% of the oil had been captured, burned, dissolved or dispersed.
Bill Lehr, a senior scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stood by the report yesterday.
The authority of that report was also challenged when a leading oceanographer told the commission that more than half of the oil that spilled into the Gulf was now buried along the coast or on the sea floor.
"Over 50% of the total discharge is a highly durable material that resists further dissipation," Ian MacDonald, a scientist at Florida State University told the commission.
"Much of it is now buried in marine and coastal sediments. There is scant evidence for bacterial degradation of this material prior to burial."
The Obama administration lost the public trust and may have sabotaged clean-up operations in the Gulf of Mexico by grossly underestimating the amount of oil gushing from BP's broken Macondo well, according to a White House commission appointed to investigate the spill.
In a scathing critique of the administration's handling of the disaster, the two co-chairs of the commission yesterday said government officials made a serious blunder by releasing early estimates of the spill that were about 60 times too low.
"It's a little bit like Custer underestimating the number of Indians on the other side of the hill and paying a price for that," Bob Graham, a former Democratic senator from Florida, told reporters.
Government agencies have come under sustained assault from independent scientists for initial estimates that put the size of the spill as low as 1,000 barrels a day – even as footage from the ocean floor showed a huge cloud of oil and gas billowing out of the BP well. A team of scientific experts assembled by the government eventually raised the estimate to more than 60,000 barrels a day.
In testimony yesterday, the coast guard commander Admiral Thad Allen insisted the underestimates had had no effect on the response. "The answer is no," Allen said. "We assumed at the outset this would be a catastrophic event."
But Allen's assertion made little headway with the other co-chair of the commission. "I would assume that it's common sense that a flow rate will determine how many skimmers you think you need, how many thousand feet of boom you bring into the area, what you are going to do with respect to dispersants," said William Reilly, who served as chairman of the Environmental Protection Agency under the first President Bush. "How do you deploy your resources if you don't know how serious the threat is?"
The low estimate may also have encouraged BP to take the ultimately unsuccessful step of attempting to cap the well with a giant dome. "I think it did have an impact … on the issue of the containment technology," Graham said.
The charges that government officials badly misjudged or misrepresented the gravity of the spill are extremely sensitive for the Obama administration, which claims repeatedly that its environmental policies are rooted in sound science.
Graham and Reilly said the disconnect between official assertions and the footage from the sea bed badly undermined public confidence in the oil spill response.
"I think it set a context for public scepticism about future information," said Graham.That scepticism rose again last month when government agencies produced a report saying about 75% of the oil had been captured, burned, dissolved or dispersed.
Bill Lehr, a senior scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stood by the report yesterday.
The authority of that report was also challenged when a leading oceanographer told the commission that more than half of the oil that spilled into the Gulf was now buried along the coast or on the sea floor.
"Over 50% of the total discharge is a highly durable material that resists further dissipation," Ian MacDonald, a scientist at Florida State University told the commission.
"Much of it is now buried in marine and coastal sediments. There is scant evidence for bacterial degradation of this material prior to burial."
Monday, September 27, 2010
Emergency Funds Sent To Aid Confiscated Congo Parrots
International groups rally to aid 500 African Grey parrots seized by government officials in first crackdown of illegal parrot trade.
KAVUMU, DRC. Sept. 27, 2010 –
On September 18, 523 African Grey Parrots were confiscated by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in central Africa and sent to the Lwiro Primate Sanctuary. Funding from international wildlife groups is being urgently summoned to assist the sanctuary in dealing with the birds. The first of its kind in the DRC, this confiscation represents an important step towards permanently ending the wildlife trade for this imperiled species, threatened by decades of unsustainable levels of trade.
The shipment of Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) was bound for Singapore and seized by government officials at a regional airport in Kavumu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The birds were taken to Lwiro Sanctuary, which is run by three partners : Intitut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature ICCN, Centre de Recherches en Sciences Naturelles, CRSN and a team of international NGOs led by Coopera. Lwiro is a primate rescue center which houses over 100 orphaned chimpanzees and monkeys, with no existing facilities for birds. The arrival of these parrots to the rescue has caused tremendous strain on staff and reserves, necessitating an appeal for help. “We cannot do this alone,” said Carmen Vidal, manager of Lwiro Sanctuary. “We didn’t have much warning. We were just told these parrots are coming on Saturday and then they were here. We are doing the best we can. The government institutions, ICCN and CRSN, are doing a great job on law enforcement and the efforts of the DRC government authorities are commendable; we are very pleased that they are taking this strong stand on behalf of wildlife! ”
The confiscation came too late for twenty-nine of the Greys: the birds were found dead in their crates or died afterward. Some of the nearly 500 remaining birds were found to be tied to one another by one wing. They also had no food or water for an unknown period of time. Their situation requires immediate stabilization.
In response to this emergency the World Parrot Trust (WPT) is providing technical guidance and initial funding to support the birds’ first aid needs and coordinating activities with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) to get further support to Lwiro Sanctuary as quickly as possible.
"We're thrilled that the authorities seized this illegal shipment of grey parrots,” stated Dr. James Gilardi, Executive Director of WPT. “This effort sends a powerful signal that they are serious about protecting these birds from trapping. With adequate support, our partners in the DRC should be able to successfully release these birds back to the wild where they belong."
The initial aid will cover the short-term needs of the parrots, and in the coming weeks the birds will need intensive rehabilitation to ready them for release back into the wild. Many of the birds had their wings damaged by being tied to one another to prevent them flying, and as a result they will require assistance to re-grow lost feathers. Other support will be needed including veterinary assistance, proper nutrition, and the construction of large flights to encourage exercise. Public support will be sought through the WPT’s FlyFree program (http://www.parrots.org/flyfree).
Although this is the first such confiscation in the DRC, in recent years, similar illegal shipments have been confiscated several times in West Africa. Over a three-year period over 2796 Grey Parrots have been taken from traders, rehabilitated at the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon, and most of them released back to the wild. Grey Parrot shipments have also been seized recently in Kenya and Bulgaria.
The trade in great apes and parrots is seen by some experts as linked to one another: parrot traders selling apes and vice versa, dealers using established ape trading routes – which adds to the urgency that the trade must be stopped. According to CITES (the international convention monitoring global trade in endangered species), the DRC allows for the legal exportation of 5000 Grey Parrots each year. However, recent figures by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimate that almost one-quarter of existing Grey Parrot populations are being trapped for the trade each year – making Greys one of the most heavily traded parrots on the international market (1).
The trade for the wild-caught birds is driven by demand from international pet markets, principally in Asia and the Middle East. Although commonly bred in captivity, wild-caught birds are often sought as a cheaper alternative by bird traders. Population declines have been noted in Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda and parts of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2)
In an effort to further understand the impact of the wild parrot trade WPT is supporting a survey of bais (clearings) in the DRC, the TL2 Project, by Drs. John and Terese Hart. The study will address the usage of these types of areas by Grey Parrot populations and will determine how much local trapping of these parrots is occurring, working toward long-term protection of these sites in Africa.
Sources:
(1) BirdLife International: 2010 IUCN Red List http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1496&m=0
(2) Pilgrim et al. (in prep.)
Press contacts:
USA/WORLD
James D. Gilardi, Ph.D.
Director, World Parrot Trust
725 Peach Place
Davis, CA 95616
Voice/Fax +1 (530) 756-6340
Email: gilardi@worldparrottrust.org
UNITED KINGDOM
Alison Hales
Chairman, World Parrot Trust
Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HB
Voice +44 (0) 1736 751026
Fax +44 (0) 1736 751028
Email: uk@worldparrottrust.org
ITALY & EU (European Union)
Cristiana Senni
Trustee, World Parrot Trust Italy
Voice +39-06-503-4575
Email: italy@worldparrottrrust.org
CANADA
Steve Milpacher
Director of Development, World Parrot Trust
Voice +1 (250) 766 9363
Email: smilpacher@worldparrottrust.org
About the World Parrot Trust:
Founded in 1989, the World Parrot Trust (WPT) works to conserve wild parrots and aid the welfare of captive parrots worldwide. Though field research and direct conservation, advocacy, education, and awareness programs, the WPT has aided 47 species of parrots in 30 countries.
More information:
1. Confiscated Grey parrots (photos): http://www.parrots.org/flyfree/congo500_photos.html
2. World Parrot Trust: http://www.parrots.org
3. Pan African Sanctuary Alliance: http://pasaprimates.org
4. Lwiro Primate Sanctuary: http://www.lwiro.blogspot.com/
5. TL2 Project: http://www.bonoboincongo.com/2010/05/20/cleaning-congo’s-parrots-out-of-congo/
6. International wild-caught bird trade information: http://www.parrots.org/flyfree/about-the-wild-bird-trade.html
KAVUMU, DRC. Sept. 27, 2010 –
On September 18, 523 African Grey Parrots were confiscated by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in central Africa and sent to the Lwiro Primate Sanctuary. Funding from international wildlife groups is being urgently summoned to assist the sanctuary in dealing with the birds. The first of its kind in the DRC, this confiscation represents an important step towards permanently ending the wildlife trade for this imperiled species, threatened by decades of unsustainable levels of trade.
The shipment of Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) was bound for Singapore and seized by government officials at a regional airport in Kavumu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The birds were taken to Lwiro Sanctuary, which is run by three partners : Intitut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature ICCN, Centre de Recherches en Sciences Naturelles, CRSN and a team of international NGOs led by Coopera. Lwiro is a primate rescue center which houses over 100 orphaned chimpanzees and monkeys, with no existing facilities for birds. The arrival of these parrots to the rescue has caused tremendous strain on staff and reserves, necessitating an appeal for help. “We cannot do this alone,” said Carmen Vidal, manager of Lwiro Sanctuary. “We didn’t have much warning. We were just told these parrots are coming on Saturday and then they were here. We are doing the best we can. The government institutions, ICCN and CRSN, are doing a great job on law enforcement and the efforts of the DRC government authorities are commendable; we are very pleased that they are taking this strong stand on behalf of wildlife! ”
The confiscation came too late for twenty-nine of the Greys: the birds were found dead in their crates or died afterward. Some of the nearly 500 remaining birds were found to be tied to one another by one wing. They also had no food or water for an unknown period of time. Their situation requires immediate stabilization.
In response to this emergency the World Parrot Trust (WPT) is providing technical guidance and initial funding to support the birds’ first aid needs and coordinating activities with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) to get further support to Lwiro Sanctuary as quickly as possible.
"We're thrilled that the authorities seized this illegal shipment of grey parrots,” stated Dr. James Gilardi, Executive Director of WPT. “This effort sends a powerful signal that they are serious about protecting these birds from trapping. With adequate support, our partners in the DRC should be able to successfully release these birds back to the wild where they belong."
The initial aid will cover the short-term needs of the parrots, and in the coming weeks the birds will need intensive rehabilitation to ready them for release back into the wild. Many of the birds had their wings damaged by being tied to one another to prevent them flying, and as a result they will require assistance to re-grow lost feathers. Other support will be needed including veterinary assistance, proper nutrition, and the construction of large flights to encourage exercise. Public support will be sought through the WPT’s FlyFree program (http://www.parrots.org/flyfree).
Although this is the first such confiscation in the DRC, in recent years, similar illegal shipments have been confiscated several times in West Africa. Over a three-year period over 2796 Grey Parrots have been taken from traders, rehabilitated at the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon, and most of them released back to the wild. Grey Parrot shipments have also been seized recently in Kenya and Bulgaria.
The trade in great apes and parrots is seen by some experts as linked to one another: parrot traders selling apes and vice versa, dealers using established ape trading routes – which adds to the urgency that the trade must be stopped. According to CITES (the international convention monitoring global trade in endangered species), the DRC allows for the legal exportation of 5000 Grey Parrots each year. However, recent figures by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimate that almost one-quarter of existing Grey Parrot populations are being trapped for the trade each year – making Greys one of the most heavily traded parrots on the international market (1).
The trade for the wild-caught birds is driven by demand from international pet markets, principally in Asia and the Middle East. Although commonly bred in captivity, wild-caught birds are often sought as a cheaper alternative by bird traders. Population declines have been noted in Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda and parts of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2)
In an effort to further understand the impact of the wild parrot trade WPT is supporting a survey of bais (clearings) in the DRC, the TL2 Project, by Drs. John and Terese Hart. The study will address the usage of these types of areas by Grey Parrot populations and will determine how much local trapping of these parrots is occurring, working toward long-term protection of these sites in Africa.
Sources:
(1) BirdLife International: 2010 IUCN Red List http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1496&m=0
(2) Pilgrim et al. (in prep.)
Press contacts:
USA/WORLD
James D. Gilardi, Ph.D.
Director, World Parrot Trust
725 Peach Place
Davis, CA 95616
Voice/Fax +1 (530) 756-6340
Email: gilardi@worldparrottrust.org
UNITED KINGDOM
Alison Hales
Chairman, World Parrot Trust
Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HB
Voice +44 (0) 1736 751026
Fax +44 (0) 1736 751028
Email: uk@worldparrottrust.org
ITALY & EU (European Union)
Cristiana Senni
Trustee, World Parrot Trust Italy
Voice +39-06-503-4575
Email: italy@worldparrottrrust.org
CANADA
Steve Milpacher
Director of Development, World Parrot Trust
Voice +1 (250) 766 9363
Email: smilpacher@worldparrottrust.org
About the World Parrot Trust:
Founded in 1989, the World Parrot Trust (WPT) works to conserve wild parrots and aid the welfare of captive parrots worldwide. Though field research and direct conservation, advocacy, education, and awareness programs, the WPT has aided 47 species of parrots in 30 countries.
More information:
1. Confiscated Grey parrots (photos): http://www.parrots.org/flyfree/congo500_photos.html
2. World Parrot Trust: http://www.parrots.org
3. Pan African Sanctuary Alliance: http://pasaprimates.org
4. Lwiro Primate Sanctuary: http://www.lwiro.blogspot.com/
5. TL2 Project: http://www.bonoboincongo.com/2010/05/20/cleaning-congo’s-parrots-out-of-congo/
6. International wild-caught bird trade information: http://www.parrots.org/flyfree/about-the-wild-bird-trade.html
Urge Interior Secretary Salazar to stop BP's next drilling disaster before it even happens
Right now the only thing standing between BP and its next big drilling disaster is the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. BP built a gravel drilling island three miles off Alaska’s north coast and classified the Liberty drilling project as “onshore,” thereby dodging the recent moratorium on offshore drilling in the arctic waters off Alaska. BP calls Liberty one of its “biggest challenges to date,” and if it moves forward, the company will push the limits of drilling in Alaska’s Arctic, just as it pushed the limits of deepwater drilling in the Gulf with the Deepwater Horizon.
What BP is proposing is crazy. The company’s current plan calls for a well to be drilled that extends two miles below the seabed and then six to eight miles sideways to get at the oil they believe lies below federal waters in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea. It’s a disaster waiting to happen in a place where it’s simply impossible to respond to and clean up a large oil spill.
Allowing the company responsible for the worst oil spill in US history to attempt such a risky drilling project in the ice-infested waters of Alaska is the true definition of insanity repeating the same mistakes yet expecting different results. Take action now and ask Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to stop BP from moving forward with Liberty.
It took BP more than three months to end the gusher in the Gulf, and the region will be feeling the effects of the nearly 5 million barrels of oil that were spilled for decades to come. Alaska’s arctic marine environment is even more fragile than the Gulf of Mexico, and moreover, BP lacks adequate response assets in this remote part of the state where darkness, intense cold and storms, and solid or broken sea ice are the norm for much of the year. It’s no wonder the US Coast Guard called an oil spill in Arctic waters a “nightmare scenario.”
BP’s own analysis says there’s an eight percent chance of a large oil spill at Liberty. Would you get onto a plane if the pilot told you there was an eight percent chance of it crashing? Didn’t think so.
BP has already built Liberty Island and has received all of its permits except for one the federal government’s final sign off on BP’s “application for a permit to drill.” Secretary Salazar can deny this final permit, urge him to stop BP’s next big drilling disaster now.
GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL
What BP is proposing is crazy. The company’s current plan calls for a well to be drilled that extends two miles below the seabed and then six to eight miles sideways to get at the oil they believe lies below federal waters in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea. It’s a disaster waiting to happen in a place where it’s simply impossible to respond to and clean up a large oil spill.
Allowing the company responsible for the worst oil spill in US history to attempt such a risky drilling project in the ice-infested waters of Alaska is the true definition of insanity repeating the same mistakes yet expecting different results. Take action now and ask Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to stop BP from moving forward with Liberty.
It took BP more than three months to end the gusher in the Gulf, and the region will be feeling the effects of the nearly 5 million barrels of oil that were spilled for decades to come. Alaska’s arctic marine environment is even more fragile than the Gulf of Mexico, and moreover, BP lacks adequate response assets in this remote part of the state where darkness, intense cold and storms, and solid or broken sea ice are the norm for much of the year. It’s no wonder the US Coast Guard called an oil spill in Arctic waters a “nightmare scenario.”
BP’s own analysis says there’s an eight percent chance of a large oil spill at Liberty. Would you get onto a plane if the pilot told you there was an eight percent chance of it crashing? Didn’t think so.
BP has already built Liberty Island and has received all of its permits except for one the federal government’s final sign off on BP’s “application for a permit to drill.” Secretary Salazar can deny this final permit, urge him to stop BP’s next big drilling disaster now.
GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL
PRESS ALERT: VENICE FOR VENICE BENEFIT CONCERT RAISES FUNDS TO AID GULF COAST RESIDENTS STRUGGLING TO RECOVER FROM THE BP OIL SPILL
VENICE FOR VENICE BENEFIT CONCERT RAISES FUNDS TO AID GULF COAST RESIDENTS STRUGGLING TO RECOVER FROM THE BP OIL SPILL
Favorite Bands of Venice, California Raise Their Voices For Spill Victims in Venice, LouisianaVENICE, CA (September 24, 2010) Venice for Venice www.veniceforvenice.com, the community campaign to aid families in Venice, Louisiana recovering from the oil spill that has devastated their town, brought together some of Venice, California's hottest bands for a benefit concert this week at Air Conditioned Supper Club. Guests rocked and rallied around Venice's namesake city to help deliver timely aid to the people harmed by the catastrophic spill.
"The small town of Venice, Louisiana is one of the Gulf Coast communities hardest hit by the oil disaster. Many families there are still waiting for compensation from BP and the government, and are without a source of income," said Melissa McGinnis, host of the hit green web series "Greenopolis TV" and founder of Venice for Venice. "We want this event to send the message that while the BP oil well may have been permanently sealed and the spill is fading from headlines, the people of Venice, Louisiana are just beginning to confront the long-term effects of an environmental disaster that will be felt for decades."
Performers at the benefit included Leftover Cuties, Gumbo Brothers, Christopher Hawley Rollers, Love in the Circus, The Luminaries, Adam Darling and Velvet Nation.
About Venice for Venice
After witnessing firsthand the devastation of the BP oil spill on Venice, Louisiana, "Greenopolis TV" host Melissa McGinnis was determined to make sure their plight was not forgotten. She established Venice for Venice to make Venice, California the center of fundraising in a city-wide campaign to assist Louisiana coastal residents. Greenopolis, Re-source spring water and Whole Foods Market Venice kicked off the campaign with an in-store promotion to raise funds through sales of Re-source spring water, t-shirts, hats and other items. Nestle Waters North America, Melissa McGinnis Productions, Whole Foods Market, Original Pet Food Company, Dr. Garber's Natural Solutions and the Venice California Rotary Club co-sponsored the benefit concert. To donate or for more information, visit www.veniceforvenice.com.
For more information:Roberta SilvermanRelay PR818-849-6347roberta@relay-pr.com
Favorite Bands of Venice, California Raise Their Voices For Spill Victims in Venice, LouisianaVENICE, CA (September 24, 2010) Venice for Venice www.veniceforvenice.com, the community campaign to aid families in Venice, Louisiana recovering from the oil spill that has devastated their town, brought together some of Venice, California's hottest bands for a benefit concert this week at Air Conditioned Supper Club. Guests rocked and rallied around Venice's namesake city to help deliver timely aid to the people harmed by the catastrophic spill.
"The small town of Venice, Louisiana is one of the Gulf Coast communities hardest hit by the oil disaster. Many families there are still waiting for compensation from BP and the government, and are without a source of income," said Melissa McGinnis, host of the hit green web series "Greenopolis TV" and founder of Venice for Venice. "We want this event to send the message that while the BP oil well may have been permanently sealed and the spill is fading from headlines, the people of Venice, Louisiana are just beginning to confront the long-term effects of an environmental disaster that will be felt for decades."
Performers at the benefit included Leftover Cuties, Gumbo Brothers, Christopher Hawley Rollers, Love in the Circus, The Luminaries, Adam Darling and Velvet Nation.
About Venice for Venice
After witnessing firsthand the devastation of the BP oil spill on Venice, Louisiana, "Greenopolis TV" host Melissa McGinnis was determined to make sure their plight was not forgotten. She established Venice for Venice to make Venice, California the center of fundraising in a city-wide campaign to assist Louisiana coastal residents. Greenopolis, Re-source spring water and Whole Foods Market Venice kicked off the campaign with an in-store promotion to raise funds through sales of Re-source spring water, t-shirts, hats and other items. Nestle Waters North America, Melissa McGinnis Productions, Whole Foods Market, Original Pet Food Company, Dr. Garber's Natural Solutions and the Venice California Rotary Club co-sponsored the benefit concert. To donate or for more information, visit www.veniceforvenice.com.
For more information:Roberta SilvermanRelay PR818-849-6347roberta@relay-pr.com
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Climate Change Skeptics Sweeping GOP Senate Primaries
Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe stood on the Senate floor last year to declare 2009 "the year of the skeptic.Turns out he jumped the gun.
This year, a host of Republican Senate hopefuls are trumpeting their rejection of climate science on the campaign trail. Christine O'Donnell became the latest to enter the spotlight last week when she rode tea party support to knock off Rep. Mike Castle -- one of eight House Republicans who voted for cap-and-trade climate legislation last summer -- in Delaware's open-seat GOP Senate primary.
She joins Nevada's Sharron Angle -- who has dismissed man-made global warming as a "mantra of the left" -- Wisconsin's Ron Johnson -- who blames warming on "sun spots" -- Florida's Marco Rubio, Alaska's Joe Miller and Colorado's Ken Buck as tea party-backed Republican Senate candidates who reject the science connecting human greenhouse gas emissions to climate change.
But the tea partiers are not alone. Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO and challenger to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), says Americans need to "have the courage to examine the science of climate change." And at a debate last month in New Hampshire, all six Republicans seeking their party's nomination to replace retiring Sen. Judd Gregg (R) expressed their skepticism, including former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, the eventual nominee.
As skeptics knock on the Senate door, many GOP climate moderates are headed out. Along with Gregg, Republican Sens. George Voinovich (Ohio) and George LeMieux (Fla.) are retiring at the end of this session. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski -- a Republican who acknowledges global warming but is leading the charge to block U.S. EPA from regulating greenhouse gases -- lost her party's nomination last month and will likely be gone next year.
The swelling rank of skeptics running for office stems from a public backlash against liberals' global warming "alarmism," said Inhofe spokesman Matt Dempsey. Democrats' attempts to pass greenhouse gas limits and the commercial success of Al Gore's climate science movie "An Inconvenient Truth" brought more scrutiny to the issue, Dempsey said.
And then there was "Climategate," the publication last November of a series of private e-mails between British climate scientists that skeptics say exposed holes in climate science and a conspiracy to hide them. The e-mails "vindicated Inhofe and everything he's been saying for the past seven years," Dempsey said. "That's why the bottom fell out on the global warming movement."
Murky polling
Gauging public sentiment on climate science is as difficult as it is politically contentious. A Gallup poll in March showed 46 percent of Americans believe global warming is a product of "natural causes," up from 36 percent in 2006. Another poll conducted in June by Stanford University researchers and funded by the National Science Foundation indicated three-fourths of Americans see the warming as a result of human activity.
Sherwood Boehlert, a retired House Republican from New York who now spends his days pushing Congress to tackle climate change, says the skeptics' ascendance is being driven less by public discontent than by powerful voices in the party hierarchy.
"You've got people in positions of prominence suggesting it's a hoax," said Boehlert, who was chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee before leaving office in 2006. "I don't know if that is out of sincere conviction or political convenience, but they find when they demagogue on the issue, they score some points."
Boehlert, singled out Inhofe, the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) as influential skeptics.
Tony Massaro, a senior vice president at the League of Conservation Voters, says the skeptics' rise in the GOP goes beyond party leadership to a deliberate attempt to distort the public's perception of the science and the media's failure to properly cover it.
"I think it reflects a steady drumbeat by Fox News around the science of global warming and the coverage of the so-called 'Climategate' -- which turned out to be nothing," Massaro said. "The news media at first reported it ad nauseam, but when the investigation revealed that things had been taken out of context and the science was sound, the stories were buried on page 18."
Massaro also said he does not believe that skeptics are as prominent in the Republican Party as the primary results indicate.
"Millions of Republicans around the country know global warming is happening and much of it is human caused and we need to do something about it," Massaro said. "But they may not be the people who are participating in primaries in Alaska and Delaware."
DOA next year?
Regardless of how well the skeptics do against Democratic opponents in November, Dempsey says any climate change legislation brought in next year's Congress will be dead on arrival. Republicans are holding fast against it and more moderate Democrats are jumping ship, leaving the Obama administration and the environmental movement out in the cold.
But Boehlert is not ready to give up on his vision of a climate-friendly Republican Party. If the skeptics win in November, he predicted, they will be greeted in January with a tug-of-war with their party's remaining climate moderates -- such as Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe and Indiana's Richard Lugar -- over the party's climate policy.
And Boehlert is hoping some skeptics will come around after they take office.
"They haven't been exposed to the science all that much," Boehlert said. "They're not here, and when they get here people like me are going to show them a lot of information."
ptic."
This year, a host of Republican Senate hopefuls are trumpeting their rejection of climate science on the campaign trail. Christine O'Donnell became the latest to enter the spotlight last week when she rode tea party support to knock off Rep. Mike Castle -- one of eight House Republicans who voted for cap-and-trade climate legislation last summer -- in Delaware's open-seat GOP Senate primary.
She joins Nevada's Sharron Angle -- who has dismissed man-made global warming as a "mantra of the left" -- Wisconsin's Ron Johnson -- who blames warming on "sun spots" -- Florida's Marco Rubio, Alaska's Joe Miller and Colorado's Ken Buck as tea party-backed Republican Senate candidates who reject the science connecting human greenhouse gas emissions to climate change.
But the tea partiers are not alone. Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO and challenger to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), says Americans need to "have the courage to examine the science of climate change." And at a debate last month in New Hampshire, all six Republicans seeking their party's nomination to replace retiring Sen. Judd Gregg (R) expressed their skepticism, including former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, the eventual nominee.
As skeptics knock on the Senate door, many GOP climate moderates are headed out. Along with Gregg, Republican Sens. George Voinovich (Ohio) and George LeMieux (Fla.) are retiring at the end of this session. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski -- a Republican who acknowledges global warming but is leading the charge to block U.S. EPA from regulating greenhouse gases -- lost her party's nomination last month and will likely be gone next year.
The swelling rank of skeptics running for office stems from a public backlash against liberals' global warming "alarmism," said Inhofe spokesman Matt Dempsey. Democrats' attempts to pass greenhouse gas limits and the commercial success of Al Gore's climate science movie "An Inconvenient Truth" brought more scrutiny to the issue, Dempsey said.
And then there was "Climategate," the publication last November of a series of private e-mails between British climate scientists that skeptics say exposed holes in climate science and a conspiracy to hide them. The e-mails "vindicated Inhofe and everything he's been saying for the past seven years," Dempsey said. "That's why the bottom fell out on the global warming movement."
Murky polling
Gauging public sentiment on climate science is as difficult as it is politically contentious. A Gallup poll in March showed 46 percent of Americans believe global warming is a product of "natural causes," up from 36 percent in 2006. Another poll conducted in June by Stanford University researchers and funded by the National Science Foundation indicated three-fourths of Americans see the warming as a result of human activity.
Sherwood Boehlert, a retired House Republican from New York who now spends his days pushing Congress to tackle climate change, says the skeptics' ascendance is being driven less by public discontent than by powerful voices in the party hierarchy.
"You've got people in positions of prominence suggesting it's a hoax," said Boehlert, who was chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee before leaving office in 2006. "I don't know if that is out of sincere conviction or political convenience, but they find when they demagogue on the issue, they score some points."
Boehlert, singled out Inhofe, the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) as influential skeptics.
Tony Massaro, a senior vice president at the League of Conservation Voters, says the skeptics' rise in the GOP goes beyond party leadership to a deliberate attempt to distort the public's perception of the science and the media's failure to properly cover it.
"I think it reflects a steady drumbeat by Fox News around the science of global warming and the coverage of the so-called 'Climategate' -- which turned out to be nothing," Massaro said. "The news media at first reported it ad nauseam, but when the investigation revealed that things had been taken out of context and the science was sound, the stories were buried on page 18."
Massaro also said he does not believe that skeptics are as prominent in the Republican Party as the primary results indicate.
"Millions of Republicans around the country know global warming is happening and much of it is human caused and we need to do something about it," Massaro said. "But they may not be the people who are participating in primaries in Alaska and Delaware."
DOA next year?
Regardless of how well the skeptics do against Democratic opponents in November, Dempsey says any climate change legislation brought in next year's Congress will be dead on arrival. Republicans are holding fast against it and more moderate Democrats are jumping ship, leaving the Obama administration and the environmental movement out in the cold.
But Boehlert is not ready to give up on his vision of a climate-friendly Republican Party. If the skeptics win in November, he predicted, they will be greeted in January with a tug-of-war with their party's remaining climate moderates -- such as Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe and Indiana's Richard Lugar -- over the party's climate policy.
And Boehlert is hoping some skeptics will come around after they take office.
"They haven't been exposed to the science all that much," Boehlert said. "They're not here, and when they get here people like me are going to show them a lot of information."
ptic."
Climate change focus shifts to "post-Cancun": Ramesh
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Noting that "no major breakthrough" was possible at the climate change conference in Cancun, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said that the focus of the international community had now shifted to what measures needed to be taken "post-Cancun".
The minister, who initiated the discussion at the Major Economies Forum in New York yesterday, pointed out that the discussion at MEF had revolved around discussing what would be the likely outcomes at Cancun, Mexico.
"Clearly now the focus is on post-Cancun...we recognise that there is no breakthrough possible in Cancun but let's now try to cut our losses and see what we can do after Cancun," Ramesh said.
"So we get a set of COP (Conference of Parties) decisions at Cancun and let those decisions serve as a further basis of further action post-Cancun," he said, after the MEF meeting.
The countries present in the two-day MEF meeting are Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States.
Countries that come to the conference in Cancun, later this year, are expected to produce a legally binding treaty to combat climate change, which the conference in Copenhagen failed to do.
Instead, two-weeks of negotiations yielded the non-binding Copenhagen Accord, which was produced by 29 countries, but principally drafted by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, in the last few hours of the Conference.
It was criticised by certain countries including Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba for having left the majority of the nations out of the negotiating process, and led to charges of a "trust deficit" between the developed and developing world.
Key elements of the Accord included a limit 2 degree rise of global temperature, 100 billion dollars on finance in long term finance to developing countries and 30 billion dollars to short-term finance to the poorest and most vulnerable countries.
The minister reiterated that one of the reasons for the lack of progress in Cancun is the absence of any action towards dispensing of $30 billion by developed countries promised at Copenhagen.
India and other emerging economies do not benefit from this aid. "We should be realistic of what you can expect to do in Cancun," Ramesh said.
Noting that "no major breakthrough" was possible at the climate change conference in Cancun, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said that the focus of the international community had now shifted to what measures needed to be taken "post-Cancun".
The minister, who initiated the discussion at the Major Economies Forum in New York yesterday, pointed out that the discussion at MEF had revolved around discussing what would be the likely outcomes at Cancun, Mexico.
"Clearly now the focus is on post-Cancun...we recognise that there is no breakthrough possible in Cancun but let's now try to cut our losses and see what we can do after Cancun," Ramesh said.
"So we get a set of COP (Conference of Parties) decisions at Cancun and let those decisions serve as a further basis of further action post-Cancun," he said, after the MEF meeting.
The countries present in the two-day MEF meeting are Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States.
Countries that come to the conference in Cancun, later this year, are expected to produce a legally binding treaty to combat climate change, which the conference in Copenhagen failed to do.
Instead, two-weeks of negotiations yielded the non-binding Copenhagen Accord, which was produced by 29 countries, but principally drafted by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, in the last few hours of the Conference.
It was criticised by certain countries including Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba for having left the majority of the nations out of the negotiating process, and led to charges of a "trust deficit" between the developed and developing world.
Key elements of the Accord included a limit 2 degree rise of global temperature, 100 billion dollars on finance in long term finance to developing countries and 30 billion dollars to short-term finance to the poorest and most vulnerable countries.
The minister reiterated that one of the reasons for the lack of progress in Cancun is the absence of any action towards dispensing of $30 billion by developed countries promised at Copenhagen.
India and other emerging economies do not benefit from this aid. "We should be realistic of what you can expect to do in Cancun," Ramesh said.
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