Archive for 30 January 2008

Flow my tears, the Coral Reef said

Posted: 30 January 2008 in Uncategorized
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I felt like this was too important not to mention.  Four common ingredients in sunscreen are the cause of coral reef death according to a recent study.  The chemicals wash off of swimmers’ bodies and activate dormant viruses in symbiotic algae that live on the reefs.  This symbiotic algae provides reefs with food.  It also adds to their color, so when the algae dies due to the virus, the reefs become bleached.  About 10% of the world’s reefs are in danger.

Here are the chemicals you should avoid in sunscreen:

  • paraben
  • cinnamate
  • benzophenone
  • camphor derivative

So before you head to the beach, make sure that what you pick up doesn’t have those ingredients.  According to Roberto Danovaro, who headed the study, you should use sunscreens with physical filters that reflect UV rays and eco-friendly chemical sunscreens.

The Crowd Thins

Posted: 30 January 2008 in Uncategorized
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Well, Edwards is all set to announce he is dropping out of the democratic race and Ghouliani has withdrawn from the republican side. Of the mainstream democrat candidates, Edwards was the least likely to become corporate lapdog of the year. He had some unfortunate things against him, which made me less than meh about his bid, but I would have preferred him to Clinton or Obama. My prediction is Obama will take it. As for the Republicans, I was terribly wrong about McCain’s prospects. Which evil would be worse? McCain or Romney in the White House? I must say, though, I am so, so glad that Ghouliani was a miserable failure. If he had been made president, the world would have been a much darker place.

Rudy Giuliani (Ghouliani) - EPIC FAIL

At this point, no one is heading to the White House that I support. I refuse to support the lesser of two evils and so will almost certainly be voting Green as a protest.

Help Science Funding

Posted: 30 January 2008 in Uncategorized
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The current omnibus package for 2008 does not provide funding for many of the science programs that were promised in the America COMPETES Act passed last August. If something doesn’t happen, it will mean less funding for the NSF, NIST, and DOE Office of Science for this fiscal year. In turn, innovation in science in America will continue to slip compared to the rest of the world at a crucial time. So if you support science funding, please take 30 seconds to fill out this letter to your representatives in government (senate, house, president) urging them to increase funding for these agencies this year.

Please help keep me in a job! :) [hat tip]