YubaNet.com

McCain's Land Swap Deja Vu; Latest Allegations Not McCain's First Land Swap Controversy

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:56:45 PST

Republican John McCain's controversial 2005 land swap deal, reported today by The Washington Post, is eerily reminiscent of a similar situation reported by the Center for Public Integrity in its book The Buying of the President 2000.

California clean car law is more effective than federal fuel economy standards

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:43:32 PST

The California Air Resources Board today issued a technical study that conclusively demonstrates that California's clean cars law (the Pavley regulations) achieves 41 percent greater total reductions of greenhouse gases nationwide compared to the recently proposed federal fuel economy standards by 2020. In 2020, California's clean car law will result in the equivalent of removing an additional 14 million cars compared to the federal standards.

DoD Identifies 2 Army Casualties - May 9

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:33:43 PST

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

State Board of Education Passes O'Connell Initiative Encouraging Local Innovation to Close Achievement Gap

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:27:29 PST

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell applauded the California State Board of Education for today unanimously approving his call for new flexibility to assist two districts embarking on a new pilot project to improve student achievement.

Department of the Interior Crosses Two-year Mark Without Any New Species Protected Under the Endangered Species Act

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:21:17 PST

Today marks two years since the Department of the Interior last protected a new U.S. species under the Endangered Species Act. This period includes the entire tenure of Dirk Kempthorne as Secretary of the Interior and is by far the longest period without a new species being protected since the landmark federal law was passed, surpassing even James Watt, who, under Reagan, in 1981 and 1982 went 382 days without protecting a species.

Animals in Myanmar Need Help

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:17:02 PST

Cyclone Nargis has devastated Myanmar and, according to state media, has killed 22,980 and left 42,119 missing. United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes said the death toll could rise "very significantly" as food shortages and disease set in. Media reports estimate that the death toll may reach more than 100,000 people. IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org) is standing ready with a team to help animals in need, however the visa process is expected to take a week or more.

Comparison of Ownership vs. Rental Costs in 100 U.S. Cities Demonstrates that Rental Options Should Be a Consideration in Housing Proposals

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:10:34 PST

As Congress debates solutions to the mortgage meltdown and ever more homeowners find themselves facing foreclosure, a report released today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) shows that in many bubble-inflated markets, homeownership remains a costly and risky proposition.

Final Farm Bill Includes Key Animal Protection Provisions

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:06:31 PST

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund commend House-Senate negotiators on inclusion of key provisions to help animals, as part of the Farm Bill conference report that will be considered soon by the full House and Senate. The package includes important measures to stop the import of puppies for commercial sale from foreign puppy mills and strengthen the federal law against animal fighting, as well as increase penalties for those who violate the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).

Farm Bill Conference Report Called "Mixed Bag"

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:05:20 PST

The 2008 farm bill conference report appears to include important new investments in conservation, but will not do enough to meet the growing need to expand and improve conservation programs, or to reform our antiquated system of farm subsidies, according to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

ACLU Skeptical of Senate Report on "Homegrown" Terrorism

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:04:21 PST

After Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a report on Islamic homegrown terrorism today, the American Civil Liberties Union strongly urged Congress to use caution when moving forward on related legislation, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (S. 1959). The report, "Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorism Threat," is based on findings from hearings held by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The ACLU and nearly twenty other groups sent a memo to the committee outlining concerns with the report, most notably the free speech implications of labeling the internet as a "weapon" and the unfair singling out of one religious group as possible "extremists."

Schwarzenegger Takes Action to Bolster Firefighting Resources

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:00:57 PST

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued Executive Order S-03-08, which boosts the state's preparedness for wildfire season and directs the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to immediately mobilize critical firefighting resources and personnel to save lives and homes statewide.

Myanmar: Red Cross Red Crescent relief operation continues as more aid arrives in Yangon

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:51:12 PST

Today, another Red Cross Red Crescent shipment of aid arrived in Yagon, Myanmar. This time, 8 tonnes of tarpaulins and jerry cans touched down late in the morning on a scheduled commercial flight out of Bangkok.

Getting a Glimpse of Guantanamo

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:42:49 PST

Amnesty International is bringing a life-size model of a maximum security cell at Guantanamo to cities across the USA. The tour is a way to enable people in the United States to get a glimpse of the harsh realities of illegal detention and prolonged isolation.

Reward Offered in Bear Poaching Case

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:40:37 PST

The Humane Society of the United States and The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for allegedly illegally killing a bear or bears whose paws were found in a Riverside, Calif.-area home.

Myanmar: Food aid "impounded" as selective approach from government dismays aid workers

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:31:16 PST

Aid workers are dismayed at the limited and selective access provided to foeign relief for Myanmar. WFP has suspended its limited air cargo deliveries on 9 May, after two plane loads of food aid were impounded in Yangon, according to Reuters.

Burundi: Fighting displaces 20,000

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:29:44 PST

At least 20,000 people have fled their homes near the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, after fighting between the army and rebels, officials said on 9 May.

Battle for Beirut

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:27:55 PST

Everyone kept insisting it was not a civil war, but jumping for cover as a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the apartment block beside us, and masked gunmen fired deafening salvos across the road dividing Sunni and Shia neighbourhoods of Beirut, it certainly felt like it.

Dalai Lama's envoys hold press conference following talks

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:20:37 PST

The Dalai Lama's envoys reported back today on talks with officials from the United Front Work Department in Shenzhen, China, on Sunday [May 4]. Special Envoy Lodi Gyari, speaking to press in Dharamsala, India, after briefing the Dalai Lama, referred to the significance of a comment by Chinese President and Party Secretary Hu Jintao yesterday that "our attitude towards contacts and consultation with the Dalai Lama is serious".

CAL FIRE Amador-El DoradoTransitions into Summer Preparedness for Fire Season

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:16:28 PST

Unit Chief Bill Holmes today announced that starting Monday, May 12, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. CAL FIRE will transition into its summer preparedness levels for fire season in Amador and El Dorado Counties.

WFP aid flights to proceed to Myanmar tomorrow

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:07:21 PST

The World Food Programme has decided to send in two relief flights as planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the Government of Myanmar on the distribution of the food that was flown in today, and not released to WFP. Today, two WFP flights arrived with high-energy biscuits, sufficient to feed 95,000 hungry people in Myanmar.

UNHCR faces funding shortfall for Iraq operation

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:54:02 PST

Faced with a looming funding shortfall, the UN refugee agency warned today that it could soon be forced to reduce and in some cases to halt a number of assistance programs for hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees unless donor governments provide additional support.

Boxer Opening Statement: EPW Hearing "Goods Movement on our Nation's Highways"

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:20:31 PST

The tragic collapse of a Minnesota bridge in August of last year reminded us that we need to invest more in the maintenance and preservation of our current transportation system.

Humanists Decry Faith-Based Trickery by Wisconsin Village

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:17:35 PST

The American Humanist Association cried foul today over what it calls "faith-based sleight of hand" by the village board of Holmen, Wisconsin. The village owns land upon which sits a Christian cross that is illuminated during Lent. When a local resident complained in March that this constitutes local government endorsement of religion in violation of the U.S. Constitution, the village opted in a closed-door meeting to sell a tiny, 30 foot by 33 foot, plot of land under the cross to the local Lion's Club, which would then maintain the cross on this parcel surrounded on all four sides by village property.

Andy Borowitz: Bill Clinton Switches to Obama

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:13:45 PST

In what some Democratic Party insiders are calling a particularly ominous sign for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, former president Bill Clinton today became the latest superdelegate to switch from Sen. Clinton to her rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill).

Businesses Seeking Expertise from the Conservation Community Now Have Clear Steps for Moving Ahead on Sustainable Seafood

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:11:54 PST

Ocean Conservancy is one of more than a dozen American and Canadian organizations that today released steps companies can take to develop and implement a comprehensive, corporate policy on sustainable, wild-caught and farmed seafood. The "Common Vision for Environmentally Sustainable Seafood" highlights a clear path for achieving sustainability in the seafood industry.

HEIC0812:The Antennae Galaxies move closer

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:06:28 PST

New research on the Antennae Galaxies using the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows that this benchmark pair of interacting galaxies is in fact much closer than previously thought - 45 million light-years instead of 65 million light-years.

It started with a squeak: Moonlight serenade helps lemurs pick mates of the right species

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:01:46 PST

Lonely hearts columns testify that finding a partner can be hard enough, but at least most human beings can be fairly certain that when we do we have got one of the right species. Things aren't so simple for all animals. Some Malagasy mouse lemurs are so similar that picking a mate of the right species, especially at night time in a tropical forest, might seem like a matter of pot luck. However, new research in BioMed Central's journal BMC Biology has shown that our desperately cute distant cousins use vocalisations to pick up a partner of the right species.

Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storing -- grasping at straws in the climate debate?

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:28 PST

Great hopes are being placed on undeveloped technology. Capturing and storing carbon dioxide is predicted to be one of the most important measures to counter the threats to our climate. But the technology still hasn't been tested in full scale, and the complications and risks it entails may have been grossly underestimated.

Citizens Groups Investigate Candidates' Positions on Looming Energy Crisis in Nevada County

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:46:23 PST

Given that energy scarcity is one of the most pressing issue on the planet right now, and is the cause of many of the other local and global problems (such as the recent food crisis), some people think that the candidates running for local offices should be asked what they intend to do about it - or if they even know about it?

World Migratory Bird Day -- Migratory Bird Numbers Plummeting Globally

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:42:41 PST

The theme for this year's World Migratory Bird Day: "Migratory Birds - Ambassadors for Biodiversity" draws attention to the link between migratory birds and wider biodiversity as well as the overall state of our environment. Birds are considered to be some of the best indicators for the status and trends of wider biodiversity as they connect, and are inhabitants of, virtually all ecosystems in the world.

Solar Power Sizzles

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:41:14 PST

Global production of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells increased 51 percent in 2007, to 3,733 megawatts, according to the latest Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute, produced in collaboration with the Prometheus Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Nargis not just a natural disaster, but a human-made disaster because of climate change

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:39:59 PST

Tropical cyclone Nargis, which has killed over 20,000 people and reportedly left 40,000 missing in its wake, is not just a natural disaster, says Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). "While we can never pinpoint one disaster as the result of climate change, there is enough scientific evidence that climate change will lead to intensification of tropical cyclones," says Sunita Narain, director, CSE.

Ancient Beachcombers May Have Travelled Slowly

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:37:18 PST

New evidence, more questions. That's the thumbnail of the first new data reported in 10 years from Monte Verde, the earliest known human settlement in the Americas.

Farm Bill Proposal Contains Mixed Results for Waterfowl Needs

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:36:12 PST

With a Farm Bill being readied for a final floor vote in the House and Senate, agricultural conservation initiatives are being treated differently than they were in earlier versions of this year's bill and in previous Farm Bills.

What's bugging locusts? It could be they're hungry -- for each other

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:35:19 PST

Since ancient times, locust plagues have been viewed as one of the most spectacular events in nature. In seemingly spontaneous fashion, as many as 10 billion critters can suddenly swarm the air and carpet the ground, blazing destructive paths that bring starvation and economic ruin.

Dying bats in the Northeast remain a mystery

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:34:18 PST

Investigations continue into the cause of a mysterious illness that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of bats since March 2008. At more than 25 caves and mines in the northeastern U.S, bats exhibiting a condition now referred to as "white-nosed syndrome" have been dying.

Charity Navigator's Tips for Helping the Victims of the Myanmar Cyclone

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:31:10 PST

Charity Navigator, the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities, offers the following tips to ensure cyclone relief contributions are well-spent.

More people needing earlobe surgery for wearing heavy earrings

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:28:42 PST

They're definitely in style,but according to doctors, heavy earrings can be a dangerous fashion accessory from which more and more women are seeking surgery.

Health: Review Determines Most Effective Emergency Contraception Method

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:27:08 PST

A new review has found that the hormonal pill mifepristone is the most effective emergency contraception method to prevent unwanted pregnancy. In the United States, however, the drug has not gained government approval for this use.

Loma Rica Ranch Announces Plans for Sustainable Horse Park

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:22:44 PST

Honoring the heritage of Loma Rica Ranch, Carville Sierra announces its intention to build a comprehensive Horse Park centered around the existing half-mile horse training track off Idaho-Maryland Road. The rolling landscape that was once home to hundreds of Thoroughbred racehorses and has been closed to horses for decades, will once again open its doors to the equestrian community.

National "River Hero" Tim Palmer to Present at SYRCL's 25th Anniversary Reception

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:20:30 PST

Join SYRCL in a 25th Anniversary Reception for renowned adventurer, author, photographer and river advocate Tim Palmer on Monday evening, May 12th. Tim "wrote the book" on the modern river protection movement ("Endangered Rivers and the Conservation Movement," 2004) and with his wife Ann Vileisis wrote "The South Yuba Wild & Scenic River Report" for SYRCL in 1993, which became the foundational document for our successful campaign to protect 39 miles of the river through Wild & Scenic designation.

Independents Endorse Charlie Brown for Congress

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:13:55 PST

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charlie Brown today received the endorsement of IndependentMovement.org PAC---the nation's largest organization representing "Decline to State" voters.

Situation extremely tense in Xiahe County, defiant monks in front of media tour disappears

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:08:57 PST

The situation at Labrang Monastery in Sangchu (Ch: Xiahe) County is extremely tense today. Thousands of People's Armed Police (PAP) and Public Security Bureau (PSB) personnels have surrounded Labrang Monastery in the aftermath of arrest of hundreds of monks, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

Letter Carriers Fight Hunger on May 10

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:08:39 PST

The U.S. Postal Service is proud to support the annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) National Food Drive. Letter carriers in more than 10,000 communities across America will join forces to help stamp out hunger on Saturday, May 10. Postal employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands will collect non-perishable food items and deliver them to local community food banks, pantries, and shelters across the country. This food drive is the nation's largest annual single-day food drive.

Lebanon faces most serious crisis since civil war -- UN envoy

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:07:19 PST

The stalled political process in Lebanon, combined with the current violence on the streets and the "defiant manoeuvres of militias," is leaving the country struggling to function as a sovereign, democratic State, United Nations Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen told the Security Council today.

Greenpeace Exposes Tuna Pirate in the High Seas

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:05:24 PST

Today Greenpeace exposed an illegal tuna purse seiner, the Queen Evelyn 168, in a pocket of international waters between Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia. This Philippines-flagged vessel was at the site of a transfer of tuna between her sister vessel and a refrigerated mothership, the Kenken 888. It is likely that a transfer of fish at sea involving an illegal vessel was about to occur, but the arrival of Greenpeace prevented it from taking place as the vessels immediately separated and fled.

Salary.com Reports Moms in U.S. Would Earn $116,805 while Moms in Canada Would Earn $126,593

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:05:10 PST

Salary.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLRY), a leading provider of on-demand compensation and talent management solutions, announced today the results of its annual Mom Salary Survey. Salary.com has revised the calculation to reflect the impact of company size on mom's compensation. For 2008, Salary.com determined that the time mothers spend performing the 10 most popular "Mom job functions" would equate to an annual cash compensation of $116,805 for a Stay-at-Home Mom and $68,405 for a Working Mom, down from last years calculations of $138,094 and $85,938.

Greenpeace calls on UN biosafety conference to make "genetic polluters pay"

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:04:18 PST

From 12-16 May, governments from around the world will gather in Bonn, Germany to hammer out the final details of global liability and redress measures for damage caused by genetically engineered (GE) organisms. Greenpeace will attend the 4th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (1), telling governments "GE polluters must pay for the damage their crops wreak on the environment, on farmers, and on human health."

Heckuva Junta

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:01:13 PST

Heckuva Junta - cartoon by Nate Beeler

Road to Bristlecone Forest to Open May 10

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:53 PST

The Inyo National Forest has announced that the paved road into the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest will open as far as Schulman Grove on Saturday, May 10th.

"Blue" Jays and "Cheeseburger" Birds: Common Birds of the Sierra Nevada - May 22

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:21 PST

Have you ever seen a bird and wondered what kind it was? Or wanted to know more about it? You aren't alone. Birds' bright colors, sweet songs, and ability to fly have fascinated humans for thousands of years. They are found on every continent, in every habitat. Birds are some of the most easily observed animals on the planet, making them a familiar sight for all of us. However, though we may see birds every day, we may not know much about them.

Burma Cyclone Devastation

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:58:42 PST

Burma Cyclone Devastation - cartoon by Paul Zanetti, Australia

Geological Eras

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:56:23 PST

Geological Eras - cartoon by Mike Keefe