Icann (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the body controlling the registration of domain names has voted against introducing a mandatory.xxx domain tcd.This is after approving the use of .xxx domains for pornographic sites in June 2005.
Icann is under the regulation of the US Commerce Dept and many people feel that it was pressure from the conservative US Government that was the cause of the about face.Conservatives are worried that having .xxx domains will legitimise internet porn so rather than be a means to protect children from adult material such as websites like ass parade and bigtitsroundasses it will actually encourage proliferation of porn sites.
Give us a break,Here is another classic example of The US Goverments politics of the day overriding commonsense.The powers to be would rather have their head in the sand and pretend internet porn desn't exist than to have it all located at the one pace making it easier for surfers to control access.
A big part of the Bush energy plan is revitalizing the nuclear fuel industry. This industry has earned the public's suspicions for good reason. But even more problematic than bad image (that fear has never stopped an oil or coal baron, so why should it stop a nuke king?) is the practical problem of what to do with the industry's chief demon: nuclear wastes, most especially spent fuel rods. No one on the planet has figured out a permanent, truly safe way to dispose of this high level (level 4) nuclear waste. So, for years, the spent rods have been accumulating in special pools and/or special metal and concrete "dry" casks at the facilities where they were used.
A coalition of nine states has sued the U.S. EPA, claiming the
mercury emissions rule it issued earlier this month will do less to
protect public health than the Clean Air Act requires. The suit
charges the EPA with breaking the law by exempting power-plant
mercury emissions from the Clean Air Act's requirement that "maximum
available control technology" be used to remove pollutants. The
agency claims the exemption was necessary to implement the rule's
cap-and-trade program, which allows cleaner plants to sell credits
(read: the "right" to pollute) to dirtier plants. Attorneys general
representing the nine states -- California, Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and
Vermont -- say cap and trade will produce toxic "hotspots" around
polluting plants, often in low-income and minority communities.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Anthony DePalma, 30 Mar 2005
A federal judge has denied a
request
by salmon recovery advocates to consider "Idaho water in a
lawsuit over
management of the Lower Snake and Columbia rivers" says the
Twin Falls
Times-News 12/22. As a result of the decision, salmon
conservation groups,
that "set aside a potential lawsuit in November,"
plan to "initiate
a 60-day notice of intent to sue" in order to have
Snake River dams and
diversions considered in the management plan to
restore salmon. The groups,
however, "agreed not to seek water beyond
that already approved by the
Idaho legislature for salmon recovery each
year" - water that may only
come from willing sellers. The
conservationists maintain that "sending
more water downstream to aid
fish migration and habitat needs is the next
best alternative to
breaching four Lower Snake River dams that block fish
migration into
Idaho rivers."
Exxon Valdez Spill Continued to Cause Harm Years Later, Scientists Say
The Exxon Valdez oil spill has
lived on in the minds of Alaskans,
environmentalists, and people around the
globe who were horrified and
outraged by the widespread ecological destruction
from the 1989
disaster. Now, it turns out that the spill has also lived on
in the
ecosystem, continuing to cause harm long after the official cleanup
came to an end. According to a review published today in the journal
Science,
salmon, sea otters, ducks, and other marine life suffered
the ill effects
of crude oil from the spill at least through 2001.
The review also found that
even tiny quantities of oil -- as little
as one part per billion -- can harm
marine life. The leader of the
study, Charles Peterson of the University of
North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, called the findings "simply astounding"
and said they should
have a significant impact on environmental management.
Exxon, which
has long claimed that the spill no longer has any impact on the
region, disputed the review.
Anchorage Daily News, Doug O'Harra, 19 Dec 2003
The aerial gunning of Alaska's wolves is about to begin.
The Board of Game has issued permits to trophy hunters who will use airplanes and helicopters to track and kill wolves.They will be able to gun them down from the air, or chase them to exhaustion, then land and shoot the helpless animals at point blank range.
NO SURPRISES CALLED INTO QUESTION: A federal judge ruled that the "no
surprises" rule, a key component of habitat conservation plans, was
"crafted illegally and must be reworked says the Riverside Press
Enterprise 12/12. "No surprises was adopted in 1994 "as a way to give
developers assurances that once they comply with a plan, they won't
have to face further building restrictions or fees, even if new species
are listed or more habitat is required to protect a species" The
ruling "essentially told the U.S. Dept. of Interior to revise the
policy in a way that would include the public's voice." Spirit of the
Sage Council, whose lawsuit led to the ruling, applauded the decision,
"This is a real win to allow recovery for species and give assurances
back to species."