What is this, Depressing Scientific Reports Day? A billion people are going to die from smoking and now I read in the NYT that the gung-ho drive toward biofuels is doing more harm than good, according to two scientific studies: “Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat.” Where’s a rock to crawl under?
Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these “green” fuels are taken into account, two studies being published Thursday have concluded.
Well, we darn well better take into account the full impact of producing any fuel. One of the studies’ authors refers to the prior failure to do this as an “accounting error.” That sounds harmless, but it’s not. It’s one heck of an error: Read the rest of this entry »
That’s an attention-getting headline, isn’t it? Even though the date by which the billionth death would take place is the year 2100, it’s still an appalling prospect. But that’s the point the World Health Organization wanted to make, of course, in their report issued today, “WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008.” I read this AP article about it on Wired: “
We’re now accepting applications for the 
Why would Democratic votes break down so starkly along educational lines? David Brooks’ NYT column, “
