Now this is Interesting

By John M. Broder New York Times 

WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency is emerging as a favorite target of the Republican presidential candidates, who portray it as the very symbol of a heavy-handed regulatory agenda imposed by the Obama administration that they say is strangling the economy.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota wants to padlock the EPA’s doors, as does former Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas wants to impose an immediate moratorium on all environmental regulation.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas wants environmental disputes settled by the states or the courts. Herman Cain, a businessman, wants to put many environmental regulations in the hands of an independent commission that includes oil and gas executives. Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor, thinks most new environmental regulations should be shelved until the economy improves.

Only Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has a kind word for the EPA, and that is qualified by his opposition to the agency’s proposed regulation of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming. (more…)

Thrifty Consumer’s Guide to Buying Organic Foods

Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH

Advocates of organic foods contend that the pesticide residue on produce and the hormones given to animals destined for the butcher’s shop render non­organic foods very dangerous to eat. Skeptics say there’s no proof linking conventionally farmed foods to the many diseases they are blamed for.

10 billion people by 2100? U.N. study counts it likely

By Justin Gillis and Celia W. Dugger New York Times

The world’s population, long expected to stabilize just above 9 billion in the middle of the century, will instead keep growing and may hit 10.1 billion by the year 2100, the United Nations projected in a report released Tuesday.

Growth in Africa remains so high that the population there could more than triple in this century, rising from today’s 1 billion to 3.6 billion, the report said – a sobering forecast for a continent already struggling to provide food and water for its people. (more…)

The ice of Greenland and the rest of the Arctic is melting faster than expected and could help raise global sea levels by as much as 5 feet this century, dramatically higher than earlier projections, an authoritative international assessment says.

The findings “emphasize the need for greater urgency” in combating global warming, says the report of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), the scientific arm of the eight-nation Arctic Council.

The warning of much higher seas comes as the world’s nations remain bogged down in their two-decade-long talks on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

Rising sea levels are expected to cause some of global warming’s worst damage – from inundated small islands to possible flooding of New York City’s subways. AP

(Most Important Story you don’t know; why doesn’t America know and feel this story?)

New juice Obama, right, tours a huge solar array in Nevada. Catching rays

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus — has been marketed as a jobs bill, and that’s how it’s been judged. The White House says it has saved or created about 3 million jobs, helping avoid a depression and end a recession. Republicans mock it as a Big Government boondoggle that has failed to prevent rampant unemployment despite a massive expansion of the deficit. Liberals complain that it wasn’t massive enough. (more…)

Tip 14: Environmental Working Group’s Back-To-School Guide.

(If you care about the environment and/or at least children, read this)

Buying school supplies is an annual end-of-summer tradition. It’s also an opportunity to look for safer products for your children and their classrooms. The good news is that with a little time and attention, a backpack full of non-toxic school supplies is in reach. Purchase your back-to-school supplies (and any other item, for that matter) through EWG’s link to Amazon. Amazon will donate part of your purchase to EWG! Or download the PDF to take with you to the store. READ MORE

Now for Some Unbelievable Art

(Trust me on this one, you will want to follow this link)

http://oddstuffmagazine.com/extraordinary-art-on-pencil-tips-by-dalton-ghetti.html