Archive for June 26, 2008

Big Spring Fire Explodes

by John Weckerle

People traveling through the Estancia Valley were met yesterday with the sight of a huge plume of smoke rising from the Manzano Mountains, the result of an expansion of the Big Spring Fire. The fire, according to this Albuquerque Journal article, has grown to 3,000 acres and is being exacerbated not by wind – as with the Trigo fire – but by dense, dry fuel (the effects of tree density are also discussed in this Mountain View Telegraph article). The article states that two public meetings will be held today: one at the Estancia Community Center at 2 p.m., and one at the Torreon Community Center at 6:30 p.m. An evacuation center has been set up at the Estancia Community Center.

Supreme Court Upholds Gun Ownership Rights

by John Weckerle

The Supreme Court today issued its first major ruling to interpret the rights of individuals to own firearms, striking down gun bans in Washington D.C. and, presumably, in other cities where such bans are in effect, such as Chicago. The ruling, which effectively settles the longstanding debate over whether the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution applies to individuals or only those serving in state militias, apparently leaves most other gun control statutes intact. Articles:

MSNBC – Court says individuals have right to own guns

New York Times – Justices Rule for Individual Gun Rights

Eat Your Veggies Today – You May Not Have Them Tomorrow

by John Weckerle

Photo - Bee in Sunflower by John WeckerleYesterday we received a link to this video about research into genetically engineering yeast to produce a form of bio-gasoline – not ethanol, mind you, but actual gasoline – from sugar. The video does not provide much detail other than the fact that the research is ongoing. However, the video started a train of thought that traveled through issues surrounding the pressure on the food supply by corn ethanol production and arrived at the little-publicized crisis that may be striking our food supply in the relatively near future: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a subject on which an episode of Nature reported recently on PBS. The episode can be viewed here.

CCD is an affliction that is striking honeybee colonies worldwide, causing hives to die out on a greater and greater scale. While no single cause has been identified, research points to a potential combination of a virus that first arose in Israel and a variety of environmental stresses, especially associated with agricultural pesticides. At the current rate of decline, honeybee populations could be completely wiped out worldwide by 2035. »» Eat Your Veggies Today – You May Not Have Them Tomorrow