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Watch What It’s Like to Live Amidst Industrial Hog Farms

by BetteKershaw Posted on July 29, 2015

Mother Jones

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As I showed recently, the United States is emerging as the world’s hog farm—the country where massive foreign meat companies like Brazil’s JBS and China’s WH Group (formerly Shuanghui) alight when they want to take advantage of rising global demand for pork. (If JBS’s recent deal to buy Cargill’s US hog operations goes through, JBS and WH Group together will slaughter 45 percent of hogs grown in the United States.)

A recent piece by Lily Kuo in Quartz (companion video above) documents what our status as the world’s source of cheap pork means for the people who live in industrial-hog country. It focuses on Duplin County in eastern North Carolina, which houses “about 530 hog operations with capacity for over 2 million pigs ….one of the highest concentrations of large, tightly-controlled indoor hog operations, also known as CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) in the world.” In Duplin, “hogs outnumber humans almost 32 to 1,” Kuo reports. And that means living amid lots and lots of pig shit—the county’s hog facilities generate twice the annual waste of the entire population of New York City.

As I’ve shown before, the hog industry doesn’t build wealth in the communities where it operates—the opposite, in fact. “Almost a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, making Duplin County one of the poorest counties in North Carolina,” Kuo writes. “It is also disproportionately black and Hispanic compared to the rest of the state.”

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Watch What It’s Like to Live Amidst Industrial Hog Farms

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Clashing Visions of Conservation Shake Brazil’s Presidential Vote

by Myrna Posted on October 3, 2014

Satellite data shows that Brazil’s annual deforestation rate in the Amazon is rising again after years of declines. View original article: Clashing Visions of Conservation Shake Brazil’s Presidential Vote ; ; ;

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Clashing Visions of Conservation Shake Brazil’s Presidential Vote

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Top 10 People That Benefit from a Weakened Renewable Fuel Standard

by Posted on August 8, 2014

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Top 10 People That Benefit from a Weakened Renewable Fuel Standard

Posted 8 August 2014 in

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For months, the EPA has debated the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which sets the amount of affordable, cleaner-burning fuels used in America’s fuel supply. Now — thanks to pressure from oil companies and their allies — they’re on the verge of weakening the RFS. That would harm American farmers, workers, and small business owners whose jobs depend on this homegrown industry.

Like high gas prices? How about cleaning up oil spills? Are you a Koch brother? If not, you’re one of the millions of Americans who benefits from cleaner air, lower gas prices, and more fuel choices as a result of the RFS. Since 2005, the RFS has opened up the market to new fuel sources, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

The stakes on this issue are high. That’s especially true for those who would benefit from weakening the Renewable Fuel Standard. And who are they? Well:

  1. Supertankers: Cutting production of U.S. renewables means more oil imports.
  2. Big Oil Execs: Ethanol is affordable. Less in your tank means more in big oil’s wallets.
  3. Asthma Inhaler Manufacturers: Biofuels improve air quality. Cutting the RFS equals dirtier fuel and dirtier air.
  4. The Air Conditioning Industry: Cutting renewable fuel = more CO2 = climate change. Time to upsize your AC unit.
  5. Persian Gulf Realtors: Less American fuel = pumping more dollars overseas.
  6. China and Brazil: Killing the RFS means advanced biofuel investments go overseas instead.
  7. The Dowager Countess (from Downton Abbey): Afraid of change? Killing the RFS kills investment in American innovation.
  8. Oil Spill Cleanup Crews: There were 6000 oil spills in 2012. That’s 16 a day.
  9. The Koch Brothers: Filling up on fossil fuels fills up their pockets.
  10. Gondoliers: Climate change = more sunken cities.

The only way we can counter the millions that Big Oil is spending is by setting the record straight. Weakening the RFS will hurt our environment — and hurt our wallets.

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Top 10 People That Benefit from a Weakened Renewable Fuel Standard

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Missing the Point With Statistics

by Rudolph8843 Posted on June 12, 2014

Mother Jones

I just caught a few minutes of the Brazil-Croatia World Cup opener (“patient possession football” said the announcer, which apparently means kinda slow and humdrum), and before I knew it, it was halftime. So I switched over to CNN to see if anything was going on, and caught a pretty good example of how to miss the point with statistics. The chart at issue is on the right. According to James Alan Fox of Northeastern University, mass shootings aren’t on the rise, even though it might seem that they are. But there’s something missing from this analysis, and regular readers who know my hobbyhorses should be able to guess what it is.

Is it the fact that the yellow line does, in fact, seem to be rising steadily? No. An eyeball analysis suggests that it is, but it’s not a big rise, and anyway, it’s probably accounted for by population growth.

Nope, it’s this: Since 1993, the rate of violent crime in America has plummeted by half. That’s the background to measure this against. In general, America has become a much safer, much less lethal place, and yet mass shootings have remained steady. Compared to the background rate of violent crime, mass shootings have doubled. Why?

And here’s an equally interesting question: between 1976 and 1993, violent crime increased by a significant amount, but mass shootings remained steady. Again, why?

Raw numbers are a starting point, but they don’t tell the whole story. If Americans, on average, are considerably less violent than they were 20 years ago, shouldn’t mass shootings be down? The answer presumably, is that mass shootings are actually up when you measure them correctly, or else that mass shootings have nothing to do with violent tendencies in general. My guess is the latter, and it would be genuinely interesting to hear from experts about why this is.

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Missing the Point With Statistics

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Forget the World Cup – Brazil Posts Double Win with Simultaneous Soy Boom and Deforestation Drop

by Myrna Posted on June 5, 2014

A new analysis sees many factors driving the extraordinary sustained drop in Amazon forest loss in Brazil even as soy production has boomed. Excerpt from –  Forget the World Cup – Brazil Posts Double Win with Simultaneous Soy Boom and Deforestation Drop ; ;Related ArticlesBehind the Mask – A Reality Check on China’s Plans for a Carbon CapTracking Obama’s Climate Rules for Power PlantsDisoriented Baby Beaver Meets Midstream Kayaker… ;

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Forget the World Cup – Brazil Posts Double Win with Simultaneous Soy Boom and Deforestation Drop

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U.N. climate report was censored

by EzequielQXI Posted on April 15, 2014

U.N. climate report was censored

By

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Keep walking past the earthly conflagration, folks. There’s nothing to see here.

When the latest installment of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report landed over the weekend, only a 33-page summary was published. The full report, which details the radical steps we need to take to reduce greenhouse gas pollution if we are to succeed in capping warming at 2 degrees Celsius, wasn’t published until this morning. So that summary was the basis for hundreds of media reports beamed and printed all around the world.

And it turns out the summary was watered down — diluted from an acid reflux–inducing stew of unpalatable science into a more appetizing consommé of half-truth. The Sydney Morning Herald has the details:

A major climate report presented to the world was censored by the very governments who requested it, frustrating and angering some of its lead authors. …

[E]ntire paragraphs, plus graphs showing where carbon emissions have been increasing the fastest, were deleted from the summary during a week’s debate prior to its release. Other sections had their meaning and purpose significantly diluted. They were victims of a bruising skirmish between governments in the developed and developing world over who should shoulder the blame for, and the responsibility for fixing, climate change.

One report author joked that he felt like a “pawn” who had been sacrificed in a game. Several others told Fairfax [Media Limited] the rancour was much greater than in previous IPCC meetings.

The encounter was a prelude to what promises to be a bitter battle in Paris next year, where countries are intended to sign a new binding treaty on radical action against global warming. Countries including — but not limited to — the United States, Brazil, China and Saudi Arabia fought to ensure the summary could not be used as a weapon against them in pre-Paris negotiations.

This sad story has precedence. The previous installment of the report, which dealt with climate adaptation, stated that poor countries need $100 billion a year to help them cope with climatic changes – but that dollar figure was yanked from the report’s summary by rich governments at the last moment.


Source
IPCC report summary censored by governments around the world, The Sydney Morning Herald

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Face to Face With Blog Contributors: Can Familiarity Breed Conviviality?

by ReinaldoKirklin Posted on March 14, 2014

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The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects – Spike Carlsen

Homesteaders, gardeners, small farmers, and outdoor living enthusiasts will love these 76 DIY projects for practical outdoor items designed to help you live more sustainably and independently. Expert woodworker Spike Carlsen offers clear, simple, fully illustrated instructions for everything from plant supports and a clothesline to a potting bench, a ch […]

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Crimson Slaughter A Codex: Chaos Space Marines Supplement (Interactive Edition) – Games Workshop

Cursed are the traitors that turn from the light of the Emperor, and few are as haunted by their descent into madness as the Chaos Renegades known as the Crimson Slaughter. Once loyal sons of the Imperium, the Space Marine Chapter once known as the Crimson Sabres, has earned a terrible and bloody reputation for the murder of whole worlds. Plagued by the ghos […]

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My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag . . . and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha – Jolie Kerr

“Thrillingly titled. . . . For a generation overwhelmed not just by dust bunnies, but by bong water on the carpet, pee stains on the ceiling and vomit seemingly everywhere, Jolie Kerr dispenses cleaning advice free of judgment. . . . A Mrs. Beeton for the postcollege set.” —Penelope Green, The New York Times “ Jolie Kerr really cuts through the grease and gr […]

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Codex: Legion of the Damned (Interactive Edition) – Games Workshop

Appearing from the shifting tides of the Warp, the Legion of the Damned are mysterious bone-adorned Space Marines who arrive unlooked for to aid the servants of the Imperium. No one knows for sure where they come from, but none can doubt the fury with which they fight, or the trail of dead foes they leave in their wake. Tormented by a ghostly past and afflic […]

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Codex: Imperial Knights (Interactive Edition) – Games Workshop

Imperial Knights are ancient war machines of the Imperium, each one a towering engine of destruction capable of laying waste to an entire army. Smaller and more versatile than the Titan Legions, Knights often give close support to Imperial armies, where their mighty guns and devastating reaper chainswords vanquish even the strongest foes. Each Knight hails f […]

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Crimson Slaughter – A Codex: Chaos Space Marines Supplement (eBook Edition) – Games Workshop

Cursed are the traitors that turn from the light of the Emperor, and few are as haunted by their descent into madness as the Chaos Renegades known as the Crimson Slaughter. Once loyal sons of the Imperium, the Space Marine Chapter once known as the Crimson Sabres, has earned a terrible and bloody reputation for the murder of whole worlds. Plagued by the ghos […]

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White Dwarf Issue 6: 8 March 2014 – White Dwarf

The Chaos Helbrute attacks in issue 6 of White Dwarf! We celebrate the arrival of a fantastic new plastic kit with painting guides, designers notes and more. Jervis and the rules team also discuss the uses of Imperial Knights in Warhammer 40,000. About this series: White Dwarf is Games Workshop’s weekly magazine, and boasts a wealth of great content, fr […]

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How to Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer , the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people every year who consider bringing a puppy into their lives–as well as those who have already brought a dog home–Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, […]

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The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) – Monks of New Skete

For more than thirty years the Monks of New Skete have been among America’s most trusted authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the animal/human bond. In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as t […]

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Dataslate: Tyranid Invasion – Rising Leviathan II (Interactive Edition) – Games Workshop

The invasion of Satys enters a new and deadly phase as the Hive Mind drowns the planet in a deluge of biohorrors. Though tens of thousands lie dead already, the Catachans, led by Colonel Krelm, desperately try to hold key fortifications within the irradiated jungles, hoping to keep the swarm at bay. The surviving members of the Aurora Space Marine Chapter fi […]

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Face to Face With Blog Contributors: Can Familiarity Breed Conviviality?

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Do Movies Make Us Stupid About Prisons?

by SeleneTierney Posted on February 18, 2014

Mother Jones

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Keith Humphreys recently attended a dinner party where everyone he talked to seemed quite sure they knew everything there is to know about prisons. Most of them were dead wrong:

Nobody is informed about all areas of public policy. And most people don’t have trouble admitting that they don’t know anything about, say, the US-Brazil diplomatic relationship, Libor rate management, or sugar subsidies. But for a subset of public policy issues, a large number of completely ignorant people are dead sure they have all the facts….Prison is one of those areas, and I strongly suspect it is because there is so much fictionalization of it. If I were bored, I am sure I could easily list a hundred movies set in prisons. The Big House is also a common backdrop for TV shows, novels and comic books.

I suppose that’s part of it. But here’s a different theory: When it comes to issues of general public interest (i.e., not Libor or sugar subsidies), the less people know about something the more confident they are in their opinions. Everyone with the manual dexterity to hoist a beer can regale you with confident answers to all the ills of society, while in the very next breath insisting that you don’t know what you’re talking about when it comes to subject X. That’s a lot more complicated than you think.

Subject X, of course, is something they happen to know a lot about, probably because they work in the field. But it doesn’t matter. The fact that they’ve learned to be cautious about the one field they know the most about doesn’t stop them from assuming that every other field is pretty simple and tractable.

I am, of course, a professional in this kind of behavior. But lemme tell you, this blogging stuff is a lot trickier than you’d think. There are no easy answers to doing it right and attracting a large audience.

As for prisons, click the link if you want to learn five things that you might not know. But since you read this blog and are obviously smarter than the average bear, I will be disappointed if you don’t already know at least one or two of them. You do know that the prison population is shrinking, don’t you?

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Do Movies Make Us Stupid About Prisons?

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We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for December 26, 2013

by PorterEspino Posted on December 26, 2013

Mother Jones

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A paratroopers jumps from a CASA 212, Dec. 13, 2013 during Operation Toy Drop. The number of toys for the 16th Annual Randy Oler Operation Toy Drop continues to grow as special operations forces donate throughout this week at Luzon Drop Zone, Camp Mackall, N.C. Jumping from CASA 212s and a German C-160, paratroopers earned foreign jump wings from one of nine countries’ jumpmasters participating in this year’s Toy Drop after donating a new, unwrapped toy and successfully completing a jump. Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland, Chile, Sweden, Latvia, Brazil and Netherlands jumpmasters participated this year. Hosted by the U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), Operation Toy Drop is the largest combined airborne operation in the world. The donated toys will be distributed to children’s homes and social service agencies in the local community. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amanda Smolinski/USACAPOC(A) PAO)

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We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for December 26, 2013

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Reflections on the Killing of Chico Mendes 25 Years Ago

by Myrna Posted on December 22, 2013

Twenty five years after the assassination of Chico Mendes, a campaigner for forests and the people who live in them, his legacy continues to shape conservation efforts on dangerous resource frontiers. Visit site:   Reflections on the Killing of Chico Mendes 25 Years Ago ; ;Related ArticlesA Gift That Keeps on Giving – to Strumming MusiciansClimate Scientists, Then and Now, Espousing ‘Responsible Advocacy’Engineering the Climate – Colbert’s ‘All-Chocolate Dinner’ ;

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Reflections on the Killing of Chico Mendes 25 Years Ago

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