Other Stories

Bush Urges Development of Alternate Fuels

President Bush today urged Congress to encourage development of alternate fuels like biodiesel and ethanol, saying that, "Our dependence on foreign oil is like a foreign tax on the American dream, and that tax is growing every year". The $8.1 billion Energy passed by the House recently includes under $500 million for renewable energy and efficiency programs.

U.N. climate talks start hunt for Kyoto successor

The Kyoto Protocol which deals with global warming finally entered into force on February 16, but it was much delayed, only lasts until 2012, does not require all countries to cut emissions, and does not include the largest polluter, the USA. A U.N. meeting on Monday heralded the start of negotiations for son of Kyoto.

Tenn. School Joins Race to Make Fuel Cell

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has received a 2.5 million federal grant to create a fuel cell that runs on natural gas and produces electricity and hydrogen.

Greenpeace UK demo disrupts Ford Land Rover plant

Greenpeace UK disrupted production of Ford's new Range Rover Sport utility vehicles on Monday, pointing out that the vehicles get less mpg than vehicles of 80 years ago such as the Model T Ford.

Heavy Hurricane Season Expected

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a worse than average hurricane season this year for the East and Gulf coasts of the USA.

Hurricane Forecasters Relying on Public

The National Weather Service did not have a system for warning central Floridians of hurricanes, so when hurricane Charley was approaching last year they sounded to tornado warning instead to get peoples' attention. An ordinary alert might well not have been noticed by everyone. The service is working on learning that and other lessons from last year.

Freak China snow and sand storm kills 15 explorers

Fifteen explorers in northwest China were caught our by a freak blizzard and rain and sand storm on Friday, and were killed.

1000 Birders at World Series of Birding

The New Jersey Audubon Society's annual World Series of Birding began on Saturday. Between them, the 1,000 birdwatchers saw 260 bird species as well as dolphins, frogs and bears in 24 hours. A team from Philadelphia won with 222 species. The organisers were pleased to note that bald eagles have become more common.

Rare Mexican Gray Wolf Caught in N.M. Trap

One of about 50 endangered Mexican gray wolves in the wild has been captured in the Gila National Forest and transported to the Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge north of Socorro as it was part of a cattle-killing pack. A litter of puppies believed to be its hybrids were euthanized. The wolf's parents are still being sought.

Hog Farmers Eye Breeds for Tastier Pork

The old Berkshire breed of pig is making a comeback. Small-scale producers are looking to heirloom breeds to carve out a niche for themselves by producing premium products.

Indonesia May Seek Out-Of-Court Settlement

Indonesia is continuing its suit against Newmont Mining Corp. concerning pollution, but may settle for an out-of-court settlement. Villagers near a gold mine are said to have been sickened. The mine did release several tons of waste mercury.

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