The Chinese government has been heralding its “train to the roof of the world,” the $4 billion Qinghai-Xizang railway to the Tibetan plains that is the latest flash point with environmentalists. Environmentalists objected on various grounds to the project, including its destruction of pristine areas and specific threat to the struggling Chinese antelope. The concerns for both were quickly extinguished with a remarkable picture of antelope gingerly running under the elevated tracks of the train in an otherwise perfect nature scene. The only problem is that Liu Weiqing’s photograph (which won various awards) is a fake. Continue reading “Where the Antelope and Super Trains Do Not Play: Chinese Admit to Doctoring Award-Winning Photograph”
Category: Environment
An Austrian lawyer, Markus Groh, 49, was killed near the Bahamas after being attacked by a shark. The tourist boat, Shear Water, of Riviera Beach-based Scuba Adventures, routinely chums the water with fish blood and parts to attract sharks — then invites tourists to dive among them. It raises some interesting torts questions. Continue reading “Chumming for Torts: Tourist Killed by Sharks After Company Chums Water with Fish Parts”
An environmental group called OneVoice has started an international campaign to highlight the horrible treatment of animals in Chinese zoos that range from using tortoises for target practice with coins to forcing bears to don boxing gloves and to punch each other. Continue reading “Environmental Group Films Outrages in Chinese Zoos”
I know that I am a sucker for this stuff, but this video rivals the early bonding scene in Columbia. This could well become an alternative to When Animals Attack. I am not sure if When Lions Hug will hold as much of an audience, but I am sure there is some television producers working on that question at this very moment. Continue reading “Lions Gone Wild: Another Video of Big Cat Bonding with Humans”
Arkansas Lt. David Mitchell is accused of filmed himself using a stun gun on a cow as his colleague laugh at the abuse of the animal. He will not be criminally charged. Continue reading “Arkansas Police Officer Allegedly Films His Use of a Stun Gun on Cow”
While you may not be tall enough to ride all of the roller coasters at Disneyland, you may soon be able to take a high-powered rifle into the forest and bang away at animals in South Dakota. The legislature is concerned about a drop in hunting, so it is considering dropping the age for hunters to 10. If this trend continues, South Dakota toddlers may soon be able to lock-and-load with specialized Tickle-Me-Elmo-22 rifles. Continue reading “South Dakota Legislators Propose Lowering the Age of Hunters to 10”
A federal appellate panel found last week that the Bush Administration’s policy on relaxing controls on power companies would cause neurological injuries in 60,000 newborns a year. The unanimous panel (including Republican appointees) took the relatively rare step to strke down the EPA plan on mercury pollution as inimical to public health. The ruling also shows the real consequences to citizens in the Bush policies that consistently favor industry interests over public health interests. Continue reading “Court Blocks Bush Policy that Could Cause Neurological Injuries in 60,000 Newborns Each Year”
The Second Circuit has rejected the appeal of homeowners contesting the right of New York to taken their homes under eminent domain authority to give to private developers. It is a repeat of the controversial use of eminent domain in Connecticut in the Kelo case — where the Supreme Court narrowly uphold the use of the power and rejected constitutional challenges. For those of us who believe that Kelo was wrongly decided, this case could test the matter before a newly reconstituted court. Continue reading “Kelo Redux: Second Circuit Upholds Use of Eminent Domain to Seize New York Homes for Private Development”
Where is the NGA — National Geiger Association — when you need them?
Facing an apparent shortfall of new permits to impose on citizens, the New York city council (with Mayor Bloomberg’s reported support) is moving to require that any citizens who want to own devices that detect biological, chemical, and radiological dangers must first register and secure a permit from the city. If Bloomberg wants to run for President, this would not be the way to do it. There is a strong suspicion that the problem with these devices is that they will reveal a much greater level of such dangers and require officials to address countless false — and true — readings. Continue reading “You Will Have to Peel My Cold Dead Fingers From My Geiger Counter: New York Moves to Require a Permit to Own Detectors of Radioactive, Biological, or Chemical Threats”
It appears that the tiger attack in the San Francisco Zoo may boil down to a case over plaintiffs’ conduct. New reports indicate that the two brothers mauled in the attack may have taunted the tiger, stood on the railings, and at least one may have been drunk at the time of the attack. Continue reading “San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attack Case May Come Down to Plaintiffs’ Conduct Questions”
While politicians have been unable to reach consensus on the war, civil liberties, and the environment, members were eager to act on a national crisis a few years ago: French people eating American horses. Members passed legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses destined for French tables. However, it now appears that the legislation has merely led to horses being forced into a grueling transports to the Canadian and Mexican borders for slaughter. Continue reading “Prohibitions on Horse Meat Industry Lead to Cruel Unintended Consequence”
Given the recent controversy over horse slaughter houses in Mexico, this prior column on the intervention of Congress into the world of horse meat may be of interest. Continue reading “Horsing Around in Congress: The Senate Seeks a Ban on the Slaughter of American Horses for Human Consumption”
The Chinese government has been accused to rigging pollution figures to secure the upcoming Olympics, but pollution in the city reached the maximum stage five level this week — forcing the city to encourage people to stay indoors. This is likely to increase the unease of various countries to have their top athletics compete in the unhealthy environment. Continue reading “Chinese Air Pollution Reaches Maximum Load in Beijing”
It may have been the booze, the Christmas blues, or cabin fever, but two men manning the U.S. Amundsen-Scott Pole station in Antartica were airlifted out of the remote location after a brawl that left one with a broken jaw. Continue reading “Remote U.S. Antarctic Base Evacuated After “Drunken Christmas Punch-Up””
The legal status of the San Francisco Zoo appears to be worsening. The zoo’s director admitted on Thursday that a wall that separated the public from the zoo’s tigers is nearly 6 feet lower than initially reported — and nearly 4 feet lower than industry standards. In the meantime, the father of the teen killed by the tiger has accused of the zoo of negligence. Continue reading “San Francisco Zoo Facing Growing Allegations of Negligence in Tiger Killing and Maulings”