It was the biggest environmental disaster in US history, and now the Obama Justice Department is taking BP to court. BP and four other companies are being sued under the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act, which say that if they pollute, they have to pay for the cleanup. BP may have to pay penalties […]
How closely will the new class of GOP senators and congressmen work with energy industry lobbyists? About as closely as you can possibly get without marrying them. Think Progress reports on the lucky 13 lobbyists (mostly from the energy industry) who are moving from K Street into new jobs – as Chiefs of Staff in […]
For a few days it looked like the controversial Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) was dead in the water. Technical issues meant it was unlikely to make it through both houses in the last, crazy days of the current Congress. But it now appears that it WILL make it through – it’s been attached […]
Wow. When you write a memoir, it’s sort of traditional to, you know, use your own thoughts and memories. That’s why it’s called a “memoir”. But the Huffington Post appears to have caught former President Bush in a rather bizarre form of plagiarism. Instead of using his own memories of meetings and events for his book […]
Annie Leonard’s “Story of Stuff Project” has a new video out. As always, it’s cute, it’s informative, and it’s timely. “The Story of Electronics” is both geared toward getting folks thinking about better buying decisions as we approach the holiday shopping season… and getting them to think beyond that, toward better laws and more responsible […]
The teapartiers who swept into power last week may have missed a major point in their reading of Ayn Rand. In her seminal work, “Atlas Shrugged”, Rand (yeah, newly-minted Senator Rand Paul is named for her) has railroad magnates as her heroes, and it is a symptom of America’s decadence that the railroad network is […]
With the majority of the GOP caucus in denial about climate change, there was talk during the campaign about abolishing the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. But it now looks like they’ll use it instead – as a platform to smear the EPA, the Obama admistration, and climate scientists. Representative Jim […]
After a couple of days of rumor – “MSNBC doesn’t need Olbermann; they’ve got a strong lineup without him” – this from MSNBC President Phil Griffin: “After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. […]
(Tell MSNBC how you feel about this! Contact info at the end of the article) Kieth Olbermann, MSNBC’s top-rated talking head, has been suspended indefinitely. Politico broke the story today that Olbermann had donated to three Democratic Congressional candidates “I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night,” said MSNBC president Phil Griffin. “Mindful […]
Chevron’s new ad campaign talks the talk. “Oil Companies Need to Get Real” and “Oil Companies Should Put Their Profits To Good Use,” for instance. It comes so close to them actually turning into good corporate citizens that when spoofmeisters The Yes Men snuck out a fake press release late last night, they had some […]
Last year, Forbes magazine named Monsanto company of the year. Last year, Monsanto made more than $4 billion in profits. That was last year. This year, Monsanto is tanking. Here’s what Forbes has to say this year: Forbes made Monsanto the company of the year last year inThe Planet Versus Monsanto. I know because I […]
UPDATE: Blackwater/Xe has been sold – via a shell company and a pair of private equity firms. So… does this mean Monsanto has actually bought in to Blackwater? Read our follow-up, “Did Monstanto Finally Buy Blackwater? There’s No Way to Know”. How do Internet lies get spread? By well-meaning people who pass things on without checking. […]
[social_buttons] Experts in Nutrition and Public Health agree that a healthy diet should include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods have multiple health benefits because they provide dietary fiber, trace minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants, and a wide variety of compounds that enhance vein health, reduce cancer risk, and bind dangerous toxins (just to name […]
It’s a great headline. But it’s not related to BP’s Gulf Oil disaster – nobody involved in the biggest single pollution incident in US history has even come close to being arrested, never mind going to jail. Nope, this headline is from Hungary, where a factory’s storage facility failed last week, sending a wave of […]