"The spotted owl is the poster boy on how to use the Endangered Species Act to accomplish a goal beyond the species itself and how things can get messed up."

Ban Nock writing in the Daily Kos

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The Federal Trade Commission Friday approved a final order prohibiting a Washington-based plastic bag manufacturer from making false biodegradability claims about its products.

You people in the developed world are certainly free to debate the merits of genetically modified foods, but can we please eat first?” - Dr. Florence Wambugu

The blind girl lurched toward me across the parking lot at Tirta Empul temple, mewling. I guessed she was ten to thirteen years of age, and shorter than she should have been. A whitish haze coated her eyes, each looking upward in a different direction. She moved herky-jerky due to poorly formed bones.

How can FIER (pronounced as “fire”) be of use if the program or the course  is already in existence?  This article addresses this question.

As we may recall, part 1 introduced FIER to have four (4) phases namely, Formulation, Implementation, Evaluation, and Review (or Revision).  The four phases in sequence are essential in order to start a new educational program or a new course offering.

Genetically modified foods are so common that it seems a little strange to put a label on, basically, everything. But some states are trying.

Vermont just did. The governor says he is signing it. 

And it's a weird law, even from a policy point of view. From a legal point of view, the FDA is not going to be happy about yet another unscientific piecemeal approach to arbitrary food labels. Then there is the business aspect. How long before a lawsuit comes up because so many products are exempt from this new law that is supposedly about food transparency? 

Philadelphia was under attack through the winter and spring of 1991.

The name of the enemy? Measles.

The Philadelphia outbreak – the city’s first since 1954 - began in October 1990, and quickly spread throughout the unvaccinated population. Within six months, 938 cases of the highly contagious disease had been reported to the city's health department.

With the legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington and Colorado, questions about cannabis have vaulted into the public consciousness.

For a couple minutes, let’s put aside policy concerns and look just at the effects of cannabis in the brain.

The 35th international chess tournament in Mogliano Veneto this year did not feature strong grandmasters or international masters, but a pack of 24 local players of average strength around 2150. Still, it was a very hard-fought competition, with almost no game ending as a draw before all winning attempts had been tried.

I scored a rather disappointing 2 points out of 5, losing two games -one of them undeservedly, for a performance rating is 2030, a bit less than what I believe is my current playing strength. Below I report my only win, against Enrico Danieli, an elo 2070 player.

Danieli-Dorigo, Mogliano 2014
1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Bf5 3.e4?!

Debris Find - Likely Came From A Caravan

Yet another mystery object turns out to be unrelated to missing flight MH370.

FAIRFAX Media has received photos of the debris found near Augusta which investigators have since confirmed is not linked to the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

Mat Franklin and his son discovered the debris on Easter Monday four kilometres from Augusta.  

Augusta-Margaret River Mail

If some drug-addled sociopath shoots up a movie theater or an elementary school, there is lots of speculation about the cause. In frustration and helplessness, people search for a magic bullet - things they can ban - to keep it from ever happening again.

In European countries, at least the ones where guns are banned, and in some parts of America, guns are that magic bullet.

Actual statistics don't bear out that guns are the safety issue. Scotland, England and Wales lead the civilized world in violent crime, they just have fewer murders using guns, and people are unable to protect themselves so fewer criminals get shot. Guns are banned in Italy but it would be laughable to say there is no gun violence there.