newsdesk dot org (https://newsdesk.org/page/58/)
A legacy of toxic pollution lingers in San Francisco’s Hunters Point Shipyard, which was once a booming hub for wartime construction efforts, but now is largely shuttered and represents a constant threat to the health of marginalized communities that live nearby. The U.S. Navy and diverse community groups are at odds over the best way to address the problem.
A succinct listing of candidate positions and quotes on more than two-dozen key policy issues and ballot initiatives.
Environmental and indigenous groups stepped up their attacks against Canadian oil sands development as two U.S. representatives met with Canadian officials in Ottawa to discuss energy policy.
For best results, click the Mogulus player’s “on demand” option, below. Newsdesk.org starts at approx. 49:48; click on the playback bar to advance to that time code. NOTE! The video track is frozen and the audio skips a few times before finally kicking in around 52:00.
The eco-impacts of “luxury” toilet paper, including deforestation and chemical pollution, may exceed those of driving an SUV or eating fast food. Unlike recycled paper, tissue made from virgin wood is easier to “fluff up,” and accounts for 98 percent of the U.S. market. Photo: Iva_01
Some doctors in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan are refusing to treat people with a history of drug use, incarceration and HIV infection. EurasiaNet reports that such individuals are “regularly denied treatment at hospitals around the country.” Scarce medical resources are partially to blame, but social stigma also drives the problem. According to a report funded by the Soros Foundation, one doctor said that drug users “made a personal decision to choose such a lifestyle” and should therefore be denied care even in life-threatening situations. –Julia Hengst/Newsdesk.org
Source:
“Kyrgyzstan: Doctors Deny Treatment To Undesirables”
EurasiaNet, February 20, 2009
Bulgarian dependence on nuclear energy has produced a hot problem — how to dispose of spent nuclear fuel. The BBC reports that although nuclear power keeps Bulgaria’s carbon emissions down, it also creates tons of toxic waste that will remain radioactive far into the future. Some of the waste goes temporarily to Russia, but after reprocessing and a ten-year waiting period gets returned to its source. For this reason, and increasing transport costs, other Eastern European countries no longer work with Russia — but Bulgaria is running out of room in-country to store the spent fuel produced by its two active nuclear plants. So far, the problem has not caused Bulgaria to rethink the way it produces electricity.
An international study found that HIV is evolving rapidly, targeting different populations and challenging efforts to create a universal vaccine. According to the Los Angeles Times, researchers found that the virus has developed an “escape” mutation that enables it to evade key defensive molecules, and becomes less recognizable to some human immune systems, depending on national origin and genetic heritage. The study, published in the journal Nature, was an international collaboration and involved 2,800 participants. Though the news sounds discouraging, one researcher said that frequent mutations can make a virus weaker. Another told the BBC that future HIV vaccines would be constantly changing to keep up with viral evolution, much like the flu vaccine today.