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Louisiana Calls on BP to Fund Mental Health Programs

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by Sasha Chavkin - 
ProPublica, July 1, 2010 As Louisiana officials….

Whale Killing - We Were Heard!

Dear friends, We did it! The proposal to legalise whale killing went down in flames in Morocco -- and our campaign helped to tip the balance. In a few short weeks, we built the biggest whale-saving petition in history, signed by an extraordinary 1.2 million of us worldwide, and delivered it directly to key delegates at the International Whaling Commission meeting. In the end, the 24 year old whaling ban was upheld. The pro-whaling lobby tried to use political favours to win a so called 'compromise' that amounts to a quota for hunting whales, but as tension grew in the closed-door talks, our massive petition became a top story on the BBC’s world news , and we worked with friendly negotiators and other allies to put pressure where it was most needed and draw greater global attention. The Australian environment minister Peter Garrett received our petition for like-minded governments in front of the world's media and said “Thank you very much Avaaz. It is a g

'Balanced' Ecosystems Seen in Organic Agriculture Better at Controlling Pests, Research Finds

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2010) There really is... Editor's note: "See interesting footnote below from the Organic Food Council of MB. l.p. Late Blight Update There have been three additional confirmed cases of late blight in commercial conventional potato fields in the province this week. One case is in the central region, one in the western region and one is near Winnipeg. The Disease Severity Values (DSVs) for late blight risk have gone over the threshold values in many parts of the province, which increases the risk of infection. With widespread rains and very moist conditions, areas with low DSVs could also have localized high-risk spots (such as low spots, areas near tree lines, etc). With the high moisture in fields in many parts of Manitoba, the risk of late blight is high. To help prevent late blight, organic potato and tomato producers in high-risk areas must follow a five-day spray schedule using approved copper products, making sure to always follow

Deep-Sea Mining Adds to Fears of Marine Pollution

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By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor - the Independent - 2 July'10 Concerns about.... (photo from NOAA, Ocean Explorer)

Oil Spill in Gulf Could Cause ‘Dead Zone’, Further Hitting Sea Life

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June 29, 2010 - Financial Times High concentrations of… This image from NOAA shows the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

Climate Change Complicates Plant Diseases of the Future

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ScienceDaily (June 26, 2010) — Human-driven....

Keeping the Bees - Author Implicates Pesticides in Bee Deaths

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Just click headline, scroll to bottom of page and listen to the CBC Radio Podcast with Laurence Packer! There are over 19-thousand species of bees found all over the world, including two species that have been found near the edge of glaciers in the Arctic. It is estimated that bee pollination is key for about one-third of the world's food supply, either directly or indirectly. Bees play a vital role in the ecology of the planet, yet these unsung heroes of the natural world may be at risk. Pesticides, fragmentation of habitat and climate change all pose threats to bees. And according to Laurence Packer , if they are in trouble, then so are we. Dr. Packer is a melittologist and a Professor of Biology at York University in Toronto. In his new book, Keeping The Bees -Why All Bees Are At Risk and What We Can Do to Save Them ,

Obama Exercises Good Government, Makes BP Pay. Republicans and the Corporate Media Freak Out

AlterNet - June 25 - '10 Obama's hardline….

GM Alfalfa Ruling by US Supreme Court Has Sweeping Implications For Canadian Farmers and All Citizens

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 22, 2010 SASKATOON, Sask.—The US Supreme Court ruled this week that genetically-modified (GM) alfalfa cannot be planted or sold in that country. This ruling has very significant implications for Canadian farmers and all other citizens. Canada’s National Farmers Union (NFU) participated in an “amicus brief” to the US Supreme Court as part of this case. The case, Monsanto v. Geerston Farms, marks the first time a GM crop case has been brought before the US Supreme Court. Ruling on a lower court decision, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on the sale and planting of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa. The ban will remain in place until the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prepares a proper Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and until the USDA succeeds in officially “deregulating” the crop—a move that will be scrutinized and opposed (possibly in court) by many groups. Work on an EIS an

NDP's Food Report Urges Public Incentives for Local Foods

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Manitoba Co-Operator - June 22 - 2010 The federal New Democrats' report...

Supreme Court Case a Defeat for Monsanto's Ambitions

THE HUFFINGTON POST - Junw 21 - 2010 Andrew Kimbrell - Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety - June 21, 2010 It should be no surprise that… Please also read "Supreme Court’s ruling on Monsanto’s GE alfalfa: Who won?" - on Grist