"Is Young Adult Fiction Too Dark?"

"Is Young Adult Fiction Too Dark?" Radio Times, July 6, 2011.

Online learning at the Khan Academy

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Vandana Shiva on global sustainability

Radio Times, WHYY/NPR, July 15, 2010: "Dr. Vandana Shiva is one of the world’s leading environmental thinkers, authors and activists. Her work connects the dots between global poverty, sustainability, agriculture and human rights, particularly the full participation of women in society. Among her core concerns is how the developed world exploits the developing world in international trade, especially how genetically modified crops undermine rural and sustainable agricultural traditions that date back millennia. She has raised alarms about the threats to the world’s freshwater supplies from pollution, habitat destruction and privatization. And she is one of the intellectual architects behind the concept of 'eco-feminism.'"

Dr. James Hansen: 'Storms of My Grandchildren'

Radio Times, WHYY/NPR, May 20, 2010:

Dr. James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and one of the leading voices on global warming, joins Marty to discuss his research, advocacy and his new book, Storms of My Grandchildren. It tells the story of why Hansen boycotted the Copenhagen climate talks and has turned to a new degree of advocacy in the race to alleviate the effects of global climate change. Dr. Hansen will also discuss the new Kerry-Lieberman climate bill and what he thinks it will take for the United States and the world to align our carbon output with the Earth’s ability to absorb it without devastating disruptions.

Veggie burgers, soy, and hexane

http://gothamist.com/2010/04/13/popular_veggie_burgers_contain_pois.php
http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/04/which-veggie-burgers-contain-neurotoxin
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2010/04/enjoying_that_v.php?page=1
Amy's response:

Because of concerns around soy protein extracted with hexane, we have eliminated the use of any soy protein ingredient that uses hexane in its processing.

Only four products (some of our veggie burgers) out of over 170 products have ever contained soy protein concentrate. We have replaced soy protein concentrate in these products with organic tofu. Tofu production is similar to cheese making and uses no unnatural ingredients. To see our tofu being made check out this video: http://www.amys.com/about_us/our_kitchen.php#tofu

Our best selling burger, the California Burger, has never contained soy protein of any kind.

Amy’s remains a family owned business and we take great care to make healthful foods with organic ingredients. We welcome communication from our customers and invite you to visit us at http://www.amys.com

Andy Berliner, CEO and Co-founder of Amy’s Kitchen

"MRSA: The Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' That Won't Die"

Radio Times, March 23, 2010: "Superbug, a new book by journalist Maryn McKenna, tracks the spread of MRSA, the drug-resistant staph infection that seems to outwit every antibiotic thrown at it. McKenna explains how the bacteria has changed over the past 30 years — and how a vaccine may be the only way to stop it."

"The Homework Debate"

Hosted by Dr. Dan Gottlieb on Voices in the Family, WHYY, September 21, 2009:

Does it help learning? And, how much is too much? Dan's guest is Sara Bennett. She has written The Case Against Homework, and writes a blog called StopHomework.com. We'll also hear from Dr. Stephen Soffer, who is a staff psychologist at the Center for Management of ADHD at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"Mercury fish contamination common"

"Study: Mercury fish contamination common" - UPI.com, August 19, 2009. "The full USGS report is available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5109/pdf/sir20095109.pdf."

NPR's "On the Media" re food

On the Media, NPR/WHYY, July 19, 2009:

Covering Big Food
Robert Kenner set out to make a documentary about the food industry [Food, Inc. ], thinking he'd hear from both activists and industry insiders. But he quickly realized that the insiders wouldn't talk, farmers who did suffered consequences and, by the way, he needs a lot more lawyers. Kenner says the process was "Orwellian."

How the Sausage Was Made
Kevin Mattson is a historian who's written about the food industry's original scourge, Upton Sinclair. Sinclair is famous for writing The Jungle, a novel that exposed some of the more stomach-turning goings-on in meatpacking factories at the turn of the century. Mattson discusses some of the surprising facets of Sinclair's life, like his mediocre talent as a novelist and his failed run for the governorship of California.

Frontline/PBS: "Poisoned Waters"

FRONTLINE: Poisoned Waters on PBS: "A far-reaching investigation into American's great waterways. They are in peril. There's a new wave of pollution that's killing fish, causing mutations in frogs -- and threatening human health."

PA Governor's Schools of Excellence axed

"Gov. Ed Rendell said Thursday that state funding for Drug Abuse Resistance Education grants should be cut to help balance the state's 2009-2010 budget . . . one of 100 he wants to cut to balance the budget, although he said some of the programs that get the ax will likely be funded in the future once the state's dire financial situation improves.

"I take no pleasure in any of these eliminations," Rendell said. . . . Rendell also mentioned he would propose no funding for Governor's Schools of Excellence, which are summer programs for talented students." York Dispatch, January 30, 2009

DVD helps kids with autism

DVD Helps Kids with Autism Read Faces, Emotions : NPR, All Things Considered, January 28, 2009

Our right to know what's in our milk

On Radio Times, January 15, 2008: "The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recently ruled that dairies that do not inject their cattle with synthetic growth hormone can no longer label their milk as hormone-free. The decision, which has been put on hold until the beginning of February, raises serious questions for consumers, dairy farmers, and retailers." Pennsylvania would be the first and only state in the nation to enact such a ban. Marty Moss-Coane's guests are Terry Etherton of Penn State University and Michael Hansen of Consumer’s Union.

Best and Worst Seafood Choices

Good news in the list of the Best and Worst Seafood Choices: canned sardines and wild Alaskan salmon are among the best, easiest, and cheapest options.

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Who Killed the Electric Car? has opened in theaters. More info at WhoKilledtheElectricCar.com.

Study Links Air Pollutants with Autism

From the Los Angeles Times:

Study Links Air Pollutants with Autism
Bay Area children with the disorder are 50% likelier to be from areas high in several toxic substances. Scientists say more research is needed.
By Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer
June 23, 2006
Children with autism disorders in the San Francisco Bay Area were 50% more likely to be born in neighborhoods with high amounts of several toxic air contaminants, particularly mercury, according to a first-of-its-kind study by the California Department of Health Services.
Continued

Consumer Reports re mercury in tuna

Read about the "new safety concerns" regarding mercury in tuna in the July 2006 issue of Consumer Reports, available online at ConsumerReports.org.

PA DEP on Radio Times re mercury reduction

You can listen to the archived edition of this June 16, 2006, Radio Times interview with Marty Moss-Coane at WHYY.org, where you will see this description: "The Hon. Kathleen McGinty, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, talks about the Commonwealth's new plan for mercury reduction, clean air and clean water initiatives, and a range of issues aimed at the quality of the environment locally and nationally."

Thank you, Robert Kennedy Jr.

It would be a monumental task to list all of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s contributions to the health of our planet and its inhabitants, so this will only cover two articles in Rolling Stone:
Deadly Immunity, investigating the government cover-up of a mercury/autism scandal, June 20, 2005
Crimes against Nature, documenting why George W. Bush will go down in history as America's worst environmental president, December 11, 2003

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth has opened in theaters.
"Intellectually exhilarating . . . could hardly be more urgent. An Inconvenient Truth is a necessary film." A. O. Scott, New York Times
"In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see An Inconvenient Truth. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to." Roger Ebert
Al Gore is back! Move aside, Hillary!

ProtectBabies.org

Urgent in PA: go to www.ProtectBabies.org