Blogging the End of the World™
By PETER S. GOODMAN and JACK HEALY As job losses rise, growing numbers of American homeowners with once solid credit are falling behind on their mortgages, amplifying a wave of foreclosures. In the latest phase of the nation’s real estate disaster, the locus of trouble has shifted from subprime loans — those extended to home […]
An unusually high number of the storms has left a film of dust on the Rocky Mountain snowpack, causing it to melt earlier and forcing farmers to adjust. This could be the new normal, scientists say. By Nicholas Riccardi Reporting from Denver — A series of unusual spring dust storms has left the snowcapped mountains […]
For Risti Ariyani, the dream of working abroad and helping her family is over. Her contract with a computer components factory in Malaysia was abruptly canceled because of the global financial crisis, leaving her no choice but to return home to Central Java. “My family was counting on me,” the 20-year-old said. “Everyone, including my […]
Falling water levels trouble residents, raise pollution By Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel Scientists and property owners say they are worried about the long-term effects of a prolonged drought on fishing and water quality in northern Wisconsin as they’ve watched some lakes drop to their lowest point in 70 years. As people flock to […]
Lands commissioner says our children will live with consequences By JOEL CONNELLY State Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark looks out at Washington’s unhealthy forests from a pilot’s seat, flying his plane from Olympia to his family’s ranch in the remote reaches of Okanogan County. “It is just mind-numbing the damage you see on west facing and […]
By Laurie Nowell A NEW El Nino effect is developing in the Pacific Ocean, threatening to extend Australia’s crippling drought and bring destructive weather along the east coast. A new analysis of the El Nino effect suggests they are occurring more frequently – offering further evidence of global warming. And, in a double whammy for […]
Australia has lifted protection levels for the Tasmanian devil, the world’s largest surviving marsupial carnivore, from vulnerable to endangered. The devil population, which is found on the island state of Tasmania, has been decimated by a facial tumour disease. The number of Tasmanian devils in the wild is thought to have fallen by up to […]
The oldest and largest trees within California’s world famous Yosemite National Park are disappearing. Climate change appears to be a major cause of the loss. The revelation comes from an analysis of data collected over 60 years by forest ecologists. They say one worrying aspect of the decline is that it is happening within one […]
“We will only recognize Peak Oil in the rear-view mirror.” — So They say The May 2009 edition of Oilwatch Monthly can be downloaded at this weblink (PDF, 2.0 MB, 28 pp). … 1) Conventional crude production – Latest available figures from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that crude oil production including lease condensates […]
By KRIS HUDSON and VANESSA O’CONNELL CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Malls, those ubiquitous shopping meccas that sprang up in the 1950s, are dwindling in number, with many struggling properties reduced to largely vacant shells. On the low-income east side of Charlotte, N.C., the 1.1-million-square-foot Eastland Mall recently lost a slew of key tenants, including a Dillard’s […]
