Science
Endangered Loggerhead Turtles Washing Up on UK Beaches
The Associated Press is reporting in the video below that endangered Loggerhead Turtles having been washing up on beaches in the UK and Ireland. These younger Loggerhead turtles may have been carried across the Atlantic Ocean by the Gulf Stream. Residents are being advised not to put the turtles back into the water becasue the colder water can be a shock to their system. Wildlife officials in the UK are attempting to collect the turtles in the hopes that they can be rehabilitated and eventually returned to the ocean. Loggerhead turtles are protected by international treaties and agreements as well as national U.S. laws. The NOAA fisheries website has a detailed entry on Loggerhead turtles. Wikipedia's entry includes links to more Loggerhead resources. Posted in Animals Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…
Deadly Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak
A rare string of powerful February tornadoes killed dozens of people and destroyed homes and businesses in the Mid-South. Wikipedia has been keep track. Currently, they show over fifty tornadoes in four states: Alabama, Arkanas, Kentucky and Tennessee. The death toll stands at 59. On Deadline has some links including this one that shows damage in the hard hit Union University. You can read some of the reports filed by the National Weather Service here and here. As you can see here and on the chart on the above right the early outbreak has put 2008 way above the norm for this time of year. This Nightly News video show footage of some of the damage and investigates why some people didn't know these deadly tornadoes were on the way. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…
Chicago School Opens With Green Roof
A new school in Chicago - The Latin School of Chicago - is opening with an impressive green roof from American Hydrotech. The green roof atop the Latin School is among a growing number of schools nationally that have incorporated green roofs into their building designs. The 5,500-square-foot green roof combines a high-performance waterproof membrane with lightweight green roof technology. The green roof is also accessible to students and faculty as a learning environment. "The plantings will be fully established in about a year and I'm excited to see what the classes can fully do with it," Deb Sampey, middle school director, says. "Its first connection with the curriculum will probably be with our 8th grade and high school astronomy classes. But classes might also come up here for creative writing projects and just sit in this space and be inspired on a beautiful day." More details about the green roof were described in a press release: The multiple components of the Latin School green roof include a waterproofing membrane, insulation, and drainage/moisture retention elements, which are all part of a Garden Roof Assembly supplied by American Hydrotech, Inc. Hydrotech, founded in 1977 and based in Chicago, is a leader in the development, production and distribution of premium waterproofing and related construction products. Last year, the company?s green roof for the Ballard Library in Seattle, Washington, was included in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Top 10 Green Projects of 2006. The Latin School's new green roof, in addition to its aesthetic qualities, offers multiple environmental benefits. Plants on the roof work to keep the structure's temperature down, save on heating and cooling costs, reduce stormwater runoff, extend the useful life of the roof and reduce the urban heat island effect. "Chicago is at the forefront of the green roof movement in the United States and the Latin School is now an active participant in this movement," says Edward J. Jarger, regional manager of American Hydrotech. "We're very pleased the school selected our Garden Roof technology and we anticipate this will become a model for other schools nationwide." Founded in 1888, The Latin School of Chicago serves a diverse community of 1,101 students in junior kindergarten through twelfth grade from Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The school worked with the award-winning architectural firm of Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McKay Penney to design a building that is in keeping with the feel of the neighborhood while providing first-class educational amenities and sound green design. In addition to the green roof, the building provides significant green space, including private gardens on the ground level. Recycled materials were used throughout the building when feasible and specially-treated windows and sunshades have been installed to reduce the building's use of natural resources to heat and cool the facility. Green buildings are a growing trend. Eventually there will be many buildings that have green roofs. There will even be green skyscrapers that behave more like an ecosystem than an environmentally-unfriendly steel fortress. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…
Researcher says Gulf dead zone bigger than ever (AP)
AP - A "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas-Louisiana coast this year is likely to be the biggest ever and last longer than ever before, with marine life affected for hundreds of miles, a scientist warned. Read more…
Judge: EPA must regulate ship water discharge (AP)
AP - An appeals judge says the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate the water discharged from ships as a way to protect local ecosystems from invasive species. Read more…
Why You Will Eat Less in the Future (LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - With food and fuel costs soaring and the financial costs of global warming becoming reality, a new cure-all prescription has emerged: The average American should eat less. Read more…
Hurricane Dolly hits South Texas, flooding feared (Reuters)
Reuters - Hurricane Dolly moved inland after tearing into the south Texas coast on Wednesday with 95 mph (150 kph) winds, pouring torrential rain on the U.S.-Mexico border area and threatening floods. Read more…
EU proposes crackdown on seal hunt (AP)
AP - The European Union proposed an import ban Wednesday on products derived from seals that are killed in a cruel way, a move that could hurt the annual seal hunt in Canada — the largest in the world. Read more…
Today on the presidential campaign trail (AP)
AP - Obama tells Israelis he's committed to their security, speaking with Hamas rockets as backdrop ... McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge; says some elements began before Bush's order ... McCain credits Bush for drop in oil and gas prices ... Economy top issue, but energy concerns grow in AP-Ipsos poll ... McCain airs radio ads in U.S. Berlins Read more…
EU agency to express doubts on cloning (Reuters)
Reuters - Meat and milk from cloned animals may not be safe to be sold in the European Union after all, the bloc's top food safety agency will say on Thursday after a rethink on the issue, EU sources said. Read more…
