All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Bicycles OK on all BART trains all the time starting July 1 – San Francisco Business Times

The Bay Area Rapid Transit system’s board of directors voted to let commuters bring bicycles on all trains, even during rush hour, starting July 1.

But this isn’t being called a permanent change — rather the board cautiously named it an “extended trial” that will last from July 1 to Dec. 1 “to observe the impact of allowing bikes on board during busy commute periods.”

via Bicycles OK on all BART trains all the time starting July 1 – San Francisco Business Times.

National Organic Program: Amendments to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (Crops and Processing)

This final rule amends the exemptions (uses) for one substance, peracetic acid, for organic crop production. This final rule also amends the exemptions for three substances used in organic handling: potassium hydroxide, silicon dioxide, and beta-carotene extract color.

via Regulations.gov – Rule Document.

Even Ladybugs can be an invasive species and unintentionally kill native ladybugs!

Beetle from East Asia wreaks havoc in US, Europe after being introduced to kill bugs
“Harlequin ladybird shows dangers of alien species as biological control”

The harlequin ladybird was once a stalwart ally of greenhouse owners around the world. Native to Japan, Korea and other parts of eastern Asia, the bright red beetles were prized for their aphid-eating abilities – until they caused serious declines in other ladybird populations. Now, researchers have discovered the harlequin’s secret weapon: a deadly parasite that lives harmlessly in its body but kills other species with abandon.

The findings, published in the journal Science, demonstrate how things can go awry when a foreign creature is introduced into an ecosystem, even when done with the best intentions.

Ladybirds are beloved by humans and are valuable to gardeners, who deploy the spotted beetles to eat plant-munching aphids rather than spray their shrubs, flowers and crops with harsh chemical pesticides.

It is a prime example of an environmentally friendly agricultural practice known as biological control. But one particular ladybird – the harlequin, or Harmonia axyridis – has proved to be a two-faced friend.

The bugs gobble up aphids at jaw-straining speeds, but spread like wildfire once they escape the greenhouse, quickly taking over native ladybirds’ turf in large parts of Europe, North America and other regions.

In Europe, swarms of the pests have started taking wintertime shelter in houses, said study co-author Heiko Vogel, a biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany.

The residence of Vogel’s own mother has been plagued by the beetles, which can fly through windows, slip under carpets and burrow into any crevice a human home has to offer. “Thousands of beetles – even if they are nice-looking – crawling into your house is not fun,” Vogel said.

German researchers analysed the harlequin ladybird’s haemolymph – its blood, essentially – under a microscope and found extremely high spore counts of a single-celled fungus related to the parasite Nosema thompsoni.

With so many spores in their haemolymph, “you should be dead”, Vogel said. The researchers soon realised that somehow, the beetle’s immune systems had managed to tame the spores. The findings offer a cautionary tale for biological control. Vogel said: “You should think twice before you introduce an alien species into a new , even if it’s for a good reason.”

Source: South China Morning Post

“Sad” Lebanese News: Myriam Klink Doesn’t Run For Elections

Abdul Latif Zein running against time? or last time?

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

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I can hear you weeping all the way over here. But after much talk on the matter, all with a brief stint on a reality TV show devoted for the matter, Myriam Klink hasn’t run for Lebanon’s upcoming elections, if they will happen to begin with.

Her name is not among the list of Orthodox candidates for Metn (link) and she has denied running as well via a statement (link).

Of course Klink not running wasn’t her choice. She pulled up in her pink hummer in front of the ministry of interior and had all the necessary papers ready when she received a phone call from someone who threatened her with the electoral boogeyman also known as “teshtib.” At that point, her manager decided that the political situation in the country is too unsafe and dirty for Klink to run so he took the papers…

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(6) Hamilton Urban Gardens HUGS

ETorres

HUGS is happy to introduce our intern for the summer of 2013. Welcome Elizabeth Torres! Elizabeth graduated this month with a degree in Botany and Environmental Science from Miami University. She is planning to return to Miami to pursue a graduate degree in Environmental Science over the fall. In addition to helping in all the HUGS garden projects, Elizabeth will be at Market on the Plaza. Stop by and say hello and welcome her to Hamilton!

via (6) Hamilton Urban Gardens HUGS.

Corn Growers Turn to Pesticides After Genetically Modified Seeds Fail | Food Safety News

For 2013, more acres have been planted with genetically modified corn than ever, and its being planted with more pesticides than in more than a decade. USDA’s current forecast for harvest time is for corn selling for around $4.50 a bushel.

via Corn Growers Turn to Pesticides After Genetically Modified Seeds Fail | Food Safety News.

Fool’s game by farmers and Monsanto and planet loses – they means we lose too!

Only a Veto Will Keep Raw Milk Out of Vegas | Food Safety News

The plan to expand raw milk sales into Nevada’s largest metropolitan area has been opposed by Mike Willden, who has served the last three governors including Sandoval was the director of of Health and Human Services. He is responsible for oversight of the largest department in Nevada state government, with approximately 5200 employees and 29 percent of the budget.

via Only a Veto Will Keep Raw Milk Out of Vegas | Food Safety News.

(“Next? Allow un-inspected “sushi” pork to be sold as treats in school cafeterias – because it is politician’s and adult’s right to be stupid about public health?”)

Iraq death toll passes 500 in May | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR

May is the second month in a row in which more than 400 people have been killed, for a total exceeding 960 people in less than two months.

A wave of attacks, including bombings in Baghdad that mainly targeted Shiite areas, killed 58 people on Monday and wounded 187, officials said.

via Iraq death toll passes 500 in May | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR.

(I cannot fathom, how people can live this way – with warring groups just killing and killing because they can. No one is winning anything and mothers are crying constantly…)

Berlin Made Dubious Tank Deal with Cairo – SPIEGEL ONLINE

On the night of Oct. 9, 2011, scenes of wanton brutality played out on the streets of Cairo. Shaky videos captured by mobile phones show images of peaceful demonstrators, including students and Coptic Christians, marching toward the Maspero building, which houses the Egyptian Radio and Television Union.

ANZEIGE

But then tanks rolled in and the masses panicked as the armored vehicles headed directly toward the crowds. Rather than slowing down, they accelerated and charged straight ahead. In the end, a dozen pro-democracy advocates lay dead, crushed by the tanks’ steel armoring or run over by their solid-rubber tires.

via Berlin Made Dubious Tank Deal with Cairo – SPIEGEL ONLINE.