In a happy coincidence, it is also Science Tuesday at the New York Times...
...but I am sure you already knew that, as a fellow eco-sensitive person of intellect. (I prefer to believe that everyone is as nerdy as I am... don't mess up that delusion -- mmk?)
Today, I read about all sorts of things, but I only really want to talk about: lab fattened monkeys, whale hunting, and gas -- I mean fuel, please excuse me.
I thought you might like the bite-sized version of (and commentary on) the following eco-articles:
Today's Lab Rats of Obesity: Furry Couch Potatoes by Andrew Pollack
** I do not favor animal testing **
The monkeys are being kept in limited-mobility situations. They are being used to test weight-loss and diabetes drugs, gastric bypass surgery vs forced dieting, heart attack scenarios, the effects of HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup), AHA-diets, appetite suppressants, prenatal consumption leading to problems in infancy, among other things.... and sometimes they are even killed so that their brains and other organs can be examined.
My Thoughts:
Is this really necessary? I think it is over-kill, pun intended. In case you needed another reason to start eating better and take care of body, now you can just think of the monkeys.
With Whaling Ships Under Attack, Japan Will Recall Fleet by Martin Fackler
"Japan will cut short this year’s annual whale hunt in the Antarctic Ocean after obstruction by an environmental group largely prevented its ships from killing whales..."
"...170 minke whales and 2 fin whales had been caught this season, far below the annual targets of 850 minke and 50 fin."
"The environmentalists try to block the Japanese by tangling the ships’ propellers with ropes or putting their own vessels in between the whalers and their quarry... [and] by shining laser beams to temporarily blind crew members and throwing flares onto the whaling vessels."
-applause-
Whaling is ridiculous. Enough said.
Read more about Japanese Whaling @ Greenpeace.org
UPS Finds Substitute for Diesel by Matthew Wald
"...a growing number of the biggest trucks are running on liquefied natural gas."
"By one estimate, switching to liquefied natural gas could reduce oil imports by more than a million barrels a day."
"...over all, diesel use will be cut by about 95 percent."
My thoughts:
This isn't a permanent solution, LNG is not a renewable resource... but, it is a domestic resource that might help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil while we work on developing renewable energies for transport vehicles.
Why can't there be an easy solution? Why can vehicles not run on sea water, smog or laughter? We have plenty of those.
I <3 the New York Times. And now you do too. Yay!
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