The bald eagle, America’s symbol of national freedom, apparently doesn’t hold a candle to the gun lobby’s perceived freedom to poison this beautiful bird.
You can thank U.S. EPA. On Friday, gun-lovers won a crucial battle against conservationists and wildlife when, in a surprising move, the agency rejected a request (pdf) from environmental groups for a ban on lead in gun ammunition and tackle.
The Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy and other groups argue lead toxins are wreaking havoc on the environment and have some startling numbers to back up the claim, including:
–Up to 20 million birds and other animals are killed each year as a result of lead poisoning.
–At least 75 wild bird species, including bald eagles and endangered California condors, are poisoned by spent lead ammo.
–About 87,000 tons of lead are released into the environment each year as a result of hunting, fishing and shooting ranges. As Change.org Animals blogger Martin Matheny recently pointed out, that’s as many tons as there are in the U.S. Navy’s largest vessel.
–Humans who eat game shot down with lead ammo face serious health risks. A recent study found that up to 87 percent of cooked fowl killed by lead ammo can contain unsafe lead levels.
I’ve spent the last few days in Boulder immersed in the world of the Unreasonable Institute. As I’ve been listening to some promising social ventures give their pitches, there have been a number of great articles about the changing nature of the venture space, innovation in global mobile money, some good news about conflict minerals, and more.
The climate bill is kind of like a suffering, wounded dog. You want to believe it’s for the best when it’s finally put out of its misery, except you wish it just didn’t have to go down that like that.
Whether or not you’re a comic books aficionado, you’re no doubt familiar with Wonder Woman. When running down a line-up of some of those superheros who are best known among the only superficially comic-savvy public — for instance, Batman, Superman, Spiderman — hers is the only name that springs to mind as putting a “wo” in front of that “man.” And 
Given the nationwide tension behind immigration reform, many people may not agree with this statement, but it is time for budget cuts within the U.S. Immigration Services sector.
When I talk to people about poverty in the America, they often forget that immigrants are part of the equation. Why? Well, built-in bias from the media about undocumented workers deserving their fate of toiling in endless job cycles of dish washing, farm work and domestic labor is certainly part of it. But people also assume that if you have enough money to file the paperwork and move to the states, you have enough to stay afloat.