The Briefing - 5/16/07: A Republican Debate, Melting Antarctic Ice, and WRDA

Well, a majority of the Senate voted for the first global warming bill this session. Too bad they needed 60 to pass it, sigh...

MW

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The Briefing – 5/16/07
537 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Politics, Politicians, Elections, and Electoral Mayhem
The (supposedly) Presidential ’08 Crowd
- The Republicans Crowd: Debate!... How about the winners and losers?
- Brownback: His Darfur stand
- Giuliani: Saw an opening and took it; walking the pro-choice tightrope; the rise that vexes Republicans
- Clinton: Clash of the politics; widens lead in latest poll
- McCain: Swipes at Romney
- Romney: Nailed by anti-Mormon campaign
- Edwards: Policies offer benefits to women
- Tweezerman: That’s right, Tweezerman
Senatorial Shenanigans
- Oregon: Blumenauer will not challenge Smith
Our Very Own House of Commons
The Environment and Elections
Environmental Issues People Really Should Care about in the News
- Analysis finds large Antarctic ice has melted
- Senate presses to pass WRDA
o But sadly reject an amendment requiring the Corps to consider climate change
- Scientists backing off theory of a cooler Europe
- I’ve always wanted my very own carbon calculator
o Zerofootprint.net
- NYT: A Fresh Start on Energy
- Toyota cutting hybrid costs, says every one of their cars by 2020 will be a hybrid
- Environmental groups join forces
- Defenders likes Chairman Rahall’s Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act
…oh that pesky Blogosphere
- The Fix and The Caucus offer analysis and liveblogging of the debate
- DailyKos: Just no normal weather anymore
- TPM: Why no media coverage of Rudy’s farm gaffe?
- National Review: Bush’s ethanol plan is almost entirely bad
- Grist:
o An interview with Dr. James Hansen
o Solar’s inevitable dominance
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Jerry Falwell passes away
- Hahahaha. Fantastic.
- Hope for bald men everywhere
- Well, I think I’m pretty entertaining, but I guess not entertaining enough… sigh
- Treadmill desks?
- Neato.
- Want to get healthy? Exercise 72 minutes… per week?
Quotes O’ the Day
“Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so.” ~ John Stuart Mill

Obama post.

Ok, as promised here's the Obama clip. Can't say I was too thrilled with his initial reaction - look to China first, that's right out of the "do-nothing" play book. But his support of cap and trade is good.

The Briefing - 5/14/07: Dodd's Proposal, Support from the Spy Chief, and a New Format!!

Ahh, it's good to be back! After a long absence to due a number of circumstances, most notably a reworking of its format and focus, The Briefing is back! In short, it's now more focused on politics and any electoral bent on the environment. Also, it will no longer be a daily offering. The plan is to deliver it every Monday and Wednesday, but with more tradition postings on the blog interspersed. I hope you like it. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Improvements can always be made.

Enjoy!
MW

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The Briefing – 5/14/07
539 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Politics, Politicians, Elections, and Electoral Mayhem
The (supposedly) Presidential ’08 Crowd
- Dodd: His ambitious global warming proposal,
- Obama: Uh-oh, he said “tax”; Come on Barack, it’s a pretty good show
- Bloomberg: New Yorkers say, “Giuliani who?”
- McCain: Dismisses Iraqi Parliament call for withdrawal
- Romney: Criticizing Bush, railing against polygamy, and talking religion
- Giuliani: Qualifying his abortion stance with regards to Court picks
- Hagel: He’s back again, and he likes Mike
- Clinton: Gets Spitzer’s endorsement
- Thompson, Tommy: I’ve never heard this excuse before for saying something stupid
- Gingrich: Yep, he’s still thinking about it
- Thompson, Fred: He’s ready to go… just not yet
- Brownback: Snubbing Brett Favre in Wisconsin… good one, Sam
Senatorial Shenanigans
- Colorado: Bob Shaffer jumps into the fray
Our Very Own House of Commons
- A couple special elections in California and Massachusetts
The Environment and Elections
Environmental Issues People Really Should Care about in the News
- Spy Chief (what do I have to do to get a title like that?) backs global warming study
- Outdoor industry, experts want to “leave no child inside”
- Bangor Daily News: Better flood control
- President Bush ready to announce new air pollution regs… annnnnd here it is!
- Fed loans for coal plants clash with carbon cuts
- Cutting packaging… bout darn time!
- Fish virus worrying anglers in Eastern Wisconsin
- Climate change hurts low emitting Africa
- Don’t have all the species memorized? Check out the Encyclopedia of Life
- Wetlands losing ground in Ohio
- Argentina confronts Latin American biofuels craze
- Most Floridians favor action on global warming
- Goodness gracious, enough wildfires for you? From Georgia/Florida to California to Minnesota
- Yahoo! Green
…oh that pesky Blogosphere
- Wildlife Action: Day 6 of Derek’s Jaunt through Iowa
- The Fix: Where Dems made gains in ‘06
- The Caucus: Putting the candidates through the Sunday ringer
- DailyKos: Countdown to $100 oil
- Nature’s Climate Change Blog: Biofuels warning
- MYDD: Edwards goes left
- Politico: When conservative bloggers revolt
- Check out this blog by certain new intern here at NWF
- CPI on problems with Superfund
- Grist:
o On class and climate change
o Praising Rupert Murdoch??
o More on peak coal
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Smoking in a movie? That’ll get you an R
- It’s what my Mom always told me, its what’s inside that counts
- Wow, Hef even gets a pad in Second Life?
- Are Scotty’s ashes Lost in Space? (hehe, awesome double sci-fi reference)
- Serving our country? No MySpace or YouTube for you!
- And the winner for Morons of the Year… these guys
- An interview with the Round Mound of Rebound
Quotes O’ the Day
“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.” Aristotle

Grassrootsy goodness

Day 6: Ok, I missed a day. So sue me. Here's what's been going on:

After meeting Mitt and Barack on my first couple days here, I had my fill of politicians and so this weekend have gone back to meeting the folks of the heartland. Yesterday I tabled at "Family Safety Day" event in Boone, Iowa (birthplace of Mamie Eisenhower but not Boone's Farm "flavored wine product"). Put on by a woman who's a NWF activist and seems to know every single person in Boone, it was sponsored by the Iowa National Guard and had tables with police dept, fire dept, DNR. I met a couple of fascinating folks and, pleasantly, all but one person who came up to chat with me was concerned with and didn't question global warming.

Today, after visiting the Iowa Historical Museum (which had a great exhibit on Iowa's natural resources, but conspiculously did not have the words "global warming" or "climate change" anywhere), had a NWF "meet and greet." There was a group of 5 very interesting folks, from the med student from California, representing the Iowa University "future physicians for the environment" to the Pheasants Forever member who was very concerned with threats to CRP. We had a lively discussion and discussed the role NWF can and should play in the state.

Yes it was a good grassrootsy weekend. After all, you can't visit the heartland, without meeting some of the heartland folk.