Sustain-a-Links #22
May 4th, 2007 by Vihar ShethPosted in Recent Readings
I haven’t posted one of these in some time. But, I’ve come across a bunch of good stuff recently and would like to share. My usual promise is that I’ll link to five stories on five topics from five different sources. For this issue Business Week had two really interesting items in it so you will have to deal.
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Alternative Fuel | Europe Looks Beyond Ethanol | “Spurred by American automakers and the farm lobby, U.S. President George W. Bush is betting big on ethanol as a green additive to gasoline that can help make America more energy-independent. But most European automakers and politicians are far less convinced that ethanol made from corn is the best green fuel choice. “Cars that run on ethanol are more of a marketing gimmick,” says Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.” | Gail Edmondson, Business Week
Democracy | Fascist America, in 10 Easy Steps | “Last autumn, there was a military coup in Thailand. The leaders of the coup took a number of steps, rather systematically, as if they had a shopping list. In a sense, they did. Within a matter of days, democracy had been closed down — the coup leaders declared martial law, sent armed soldiers into residential areas, took over radio and TV stations, issued restrictions on the press, tightened some limits on travel and took certain activists into custody. They were not figuring these things out as they went along. If you look at history, you can see that there is essentially a blueprint for turning an open society into a dictatorship. That blueprint has been used again and again in more and less bloody, more and less terrifying ways. But it is always effective. It is very difficult and arduous to create and sustain a democracy, but history shows that closing one down is much simpler. You simply have to be willing to take the 10 steps.” This is from one of my new favorite websites. Naomi Wolf does a great job explaining very simply how fucked up our government’s behavior is. Kudos! | Naomi Wolf, AlterNet
Food | Canadian authorities confirm the country’s 10th case of mad cow disease since 2003 | “In the latest case, the disease was discovered in a dairy cow in the western province of British Columbia. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said no part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems.” Does the milk count? “The agency said it appears the 5 1/2-year-old cow was infected during its first year of life. It is now checking other animals born around that time to try to track down the source of the infection. Nine previous cases of mad cow, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, have been detected in Canadian cattle since May 2003, when the discovery of an Alberta cow with the disease caused the United States to slam the border shut to cattle exports entirely.” | Associated Press
Planet Earth | Planet Earth | “More than five years in the making, PLANET EARTH redefines blue-chip natural history filmmaking and continues the Discovery Channel mission to provide the highest quality programming in the world. The 11-part series will amaze viewers with never-before-seen animal behaviors, startling views of locations captured by cameras for the first time, and unprecedented high-definition production techniques. Award-winning actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver is the series’ narrator. ” If you have not seen any of these you’re missing out. What the makers of this series have done is remarkable, and you’ll think have the things you see are completely made up. I’ve never said, “Did you see that?” more times in one hour then I did during each one of these shows, and I’ve only see about half.
Technology | The Miracle Polymer for the New Millennium | “ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) is the building material of the future. This wonder polymer, a transparent plastic related to Teflon, is replacing glass and plastic in some of the most innovative buildings being designed and constructed today. Its selling points? Compared to glass, it’s 1% the weight, transmits more light, is a better insulator, and costs 24% to 70% less to install. It’s also resilient (able to bear 400 times its own weight, with an estimated 50-year life-span), self-cleaning (dirt slides off its nonstick surface), and recyclable.” | Elizabeth Woyke, Business Week
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Above is some really good reading for the weekend. Naomi Wolf’s piece, which is extracted from her upcoming book, is my favorite. The ETFE stuff is great too . . . appeals to the nerd in me. Have a great Cinco de Mayo!
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