Migrant Kids Face Increased Health Risks from Lead in NYC
December 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment | No Comments »The Statue of Liberty may be a welcome sight to see for many entering the U.S. from around the world, but according to a recent NYC Health Department study, immigrant children are five times as likely as those born in the U.S. to suffer from lead poisoning in New York City. And not surprisingly the risk is highest among the most recent immigrants.
In fact, the study which took place in 2002 and was recently published online in the American Journal of Public Health this December found that children who had lived outside of the U.S. within the prev…
Shot Glass Candles
December 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Organic | No Comments »A few months ago, I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania giving a speech to members of the Urban Land Institute. Since my flight got there rather early (I guess no one realized my flight from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh would take all…
Japan To Suspend Hunt For Humpback Whales
December 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment | No Comments »Withering criticism from the international media and hard work from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has convinced Japanese officials to agree to suspend the hunt for humpback whales during its annual whale hunt in the seas off of Antarctica.
Australia Joins China In Censoring The Internet
December 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Web 2.0 | No Comments »The Australian Government has announced that they will be joining China as one of the few countries globally that broadly censor the internet.
The Labor Party’s policy was announced prior to the Australian Election in November (release here) and was justified on the basis that the previous Government’s policy of providing free copies of NetNanny to [...]
A Sign Of The Times
December 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Web 2.0 | No Comments »Omnipresence was another big theme in 2007 with Twitter brining always on, always available communication to the masses. Whether this is merely the beginning of a broader trend, or something that will pass in 2008 is still to be seen. Certainly I’m not sure if I want to see lot of people live twittering births, [...]
8Apps Rounds Out The Deadpool for 2007
December 30th, 2007 -- Posted in Web 2.0 | No Comments »Online application provider 8Apps has announced that it will be shutting in January. 8apps offered collaborative online tools not dissimilar to those offered by 37signals.
According to a post by Download Squad reviewing the site back in July the site was on the market then, but it appears there were no takers. Probably not helping the [...]
Battle Brewing over “Fish Taxi” Solution in Rhine Salmon Survival Success Story
December 30th, 2007 -- Posted in Environment | No Comments »Rhine salmon could have special reason to celebrate New Year 2008. But let’s back up a bit first: European nations through which the Rhine River flows made a pact, “Salmon 2000″, to restore the extinct native Salmon to the river, which was polluted and unpassable to spawning fish due to man-made barriers. Already twenty years ago, the plans were laid out: enable the salmon, which have been forced to abandon their annual migrations and remain in the northern seas, to return to their birth places in the Alps at the source of Europe’s great river.
The Swiss have done their share. But the salmon have not returned. Salmon fingerlings are now surviving in the lower parts of the …
Paper Recycling
December 30th, 2007 -- Posted in Organic | No Comments »In my neighborhood, I keep seeing these yellow and green signs everywhere screaming “Paper Drive!.” After seeing a sign at my local Starbucks store describing the paper drive, I decided to do a little investigating. Now, if you’ve kept tabs…
Ecotricity’s ‘Global Cooling Machines’: Stunning Video
December 30th, 2007 -- Posted in Environment | No Comments »We like Ecotricity, the UK-based green energy company that is busy planning and erecting urban wind turbines across the country. We
Israel to Encourage Green Building
December 30th, 2007 -- Posted in Environment | No Comments »A neighborhood planned for arid conditions in Israel’s Negev desert.
Ha’aretz newspaper reported last week that Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, plans to promote financial incentives for green construction. Israel already has a progressive taxation policy on imported vehicles, with less polluting vehicles such as hybrid sedans subject to lower taxes than more polluting models. Now the idea is to reduce the energy usage of Israel’s building stock, which, according to a report prepared by the Knesset, could account for up to 40% of the country’s energy consumption.
The Treasury’s committee on green taxation will be charged with creating incentives to encourage greener construc…