Author: The Mound of Sound

Asians have long had a bad reputation for some of their eating habits.   Their love of shark fin soup is contributing to the decline of global shark populations.  Their fondness for bear gall bladder as a supposed virility enhancer has led to a serious poaching problem.   Now the tonic du jour

More evidence of how far today’s radical right is prepared to go to subvert the adoption of alternative, clean energy. “A network of ultra-conservative groups is ramping up an offensive on multiple fronts to turn the American public against wind farms and Barack Obama‘s energy agenda. “A number of rightwing

That was so 20th century.  We’re viewing the dynamic forces underway today in Europe as aberrant when, in fact, they may just be the latest manifestation of what will be, for much of this century, something far closer to normal. We like order in our lives and, because most of

Quelle surprise!   Harper was only bullshitting us on his committment to cut Canadian carbon emissions.   That’s the conclusion of our Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner, Scott Vaughan. “Canada has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020.“‘In concrete terms, Canada will need to

Widespread European unrest is reaching polling stations in several countries today.   Most notable is France where president Nicholas Sarkozy has conceded defeat to new president  Francois Hollande, the first socialist to hold the office in nearly 20-years. Hollande is projected to win by a nearly 52% margin. “Nicolas Sarkozy, defeated after

“But Skipper, the oil’s 600-feet down” It would probably take something of a mass insurrection to stop Stephen Harper’s plans to transport toxic Alberta sludge through British Columbia’s coastal waters.  A Victoria Times Colonist writer said we’re up against the CPC – the Conservative Party of Canada, the Communist Party

Cold wars, in case you’re too young to remember, can be ridiculously ruinous ventures.   Just ask Vladimir Putin.  The Soviet Union came to an end due to Cold War spending when world oil prices collapsed and, with them, its vital source of foreign capital.  Sorry, no, it wasn’t Ronald Reagan’s

Hard to know what to make of this.   A Russian general, Nikolai Makarov, has warned that Russia will use force against Poland and Romania if NATO deploys a planned missile radar/interceptor in eastern Europe. ”A decision to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens,” he said.

All work and no play makes Johnny a blind boy.  BBC reports that kids in major Asian cities are losing their eyesight – to studying. Up to 90% of school leavers in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia – short-sightedness – a study suggests. Researchers say the “extraordinary rise”

If you’re from England or ever lived there, you’ll know how much Brits love their May Bank Holiday.   Seaside excursions to the coast, picnics, the great outdoors. Bank Holiday 2012 is shaping up to be a little different, well more than a little out of the ordinary. Temperatures over Saturday

The point being that global warming denialism is not about science but focused on cheap public relations gimmicks.   Here’s a billboard put up by the far-rightwing Heartland Institute that proves the point: Not much science to it.  Simply juxtapose a picture of a disheveled mass murder beside “I still believe

Americans believed in global warming/climate change.   Then they didn’t.   But now they do again. Mother Nature has been given the doubters, predominantly from the south and central states, extra lessons in subjects such as extended drought, massive floods and severe storm events of increasing frequency and intensity.   Now all that