MEDIA ROOTS- Media Roots interviews Darfur refugee and human rights activist Adeeb Yousif from the Darfur Reconciliation and
Development Organization (DRDO) about his organization, his work documenting human rights abuses, his experience being targeted by the Sudanese government and what he
thinks could bring peace to the region.
For more information about the Darfur Reconciliation and Development Organization visit http://www.drdoafrica.org
Photo by flickr user UN Photo
GUARDIAN– The desert plants used to distil tequila could cut emissions
from transport by providing an important new biofuel crop, according to
new research.
“Agave has a huge advantage, as it can grow in marginal or desert land, not on arable land,” and therefore would not displace food crops, said Oliver Inderwildi, at the University of Oxford.
Much of the ethanol used as a substitute for petrol is currently produced from corn, especially in the US, and has been criticised for driving up grain prices to record levels. A recent inquiry found that laws mandating the addition of biofuels to petrol and diesel had backfired badly and were unethical because biofuel production often violated human rights and damaged the environment.
But the new study found that agave-derived ethanol could produce good yields on hot, dry land and with relatively little environmental impact. The agave plant, large rosettes of fleshy leaves, produces high levels of sugar and the scientists modeled a hypothetical facility in the tequila state of Jalisco in Mexico which converts the sugars to alcohol for use as a fuel.
Inderwildi said the research, published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, is the first comprehensive life-cycle analysis of the energy and greenhouse gas balance for agave-derived ethanol. The team found the production of agave-ethanol led to the net emission of 35g of carbon dioxide for each megajoule of energy, far lower than the 85g/MJ estimated for corn ethanol. In comparison, burning petrol emits about 100g/MJ and some estimates of corn ethanol suggest it is worse than petrol.
Read more about Tequila Gives New Biofuel Crops A Shot.
© 2011 The Guardian
Photo by flickr user kretyen
NPR– The letters O-C-D have become a punch line to describe people who make lists or wash their hands a lot. But for some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, the intrusive thoughts and rituals are severely disabling and don’t respond to drugs or behavioral therapies.
So doctors have been trying a new treatment for OCD: deep brain stimulation.
Deep brain stimulation is best known as a way to reduce the tremors of Parkinson’s disease. A surgeon places wires deep in the brain that carry electrical impulses from an implanted device a bit like a pacemaker.
In 2009, the FDA approved the treatment for some adults with really bad OCD. Since then, about 50 OCD patients have been treated. One of them is “Mike,” a man in his late 40s who agreed to talk if his real name wasn’t used.
A lot of Mike’s compulsions involve cars. Before he gets in one, he says, he feels compelled to check the doors, the brakes, the tires — sometimes more than once. And once he’s on the road, Mike says every bump can make him wonder if he’s just hit something.
One night, Mike’s OCD actually made it impossible for him to drive through a quiet neighborhood.
For nearly three decades, Mike tried the usual treatments: prescription drugs for depression and anxiety, and a type of behavioral therapy called exposure response prevention. But he was still constantly checking faucets so the house wouldn’t flood, and light switches so there wouldn’t be a fire. He couldn’t hold a job. He was living with his parents.
‘My Mind Was Free’
Greenberg offered Mike a chance to take part in a study of deep brain stimulation — something that’s been tried on only about 50 OCD patients in the U.S.
Read more about Parkinson’s Treatment Could Work For OCD, Too
© 2011 National Public Radio
Photo by Flickr user moujemouje
GUARDIAN– An activist who became a hero to campaigners for disrupting a Bush administration auction for the oil and gas industry with $1.8m (£1.1m) in bogus bids was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday.
Tim DeChristopher was immediately ordered into custody, and fined $10,000. He had been facing a potential sentence of up to 10 years and a $750,000 fine.
Environmental and leftwing campaigners, from actress Daryl Hannah to film maker Michael Moore and writer Naomi Klein, immediately denounced the sentence as excessive.
At a vigil outside the Salt Lake City courtroom where sentencing took place, supporters of DeChristopher’s Peaceful Uprising civil disobedience movement shouted: “Justice is not found here.”
As Bidder No 70, DeChristopher disrupted what was seen as a last giveaway to the oil and gas industry by the Bush administration by bidding $1.8m (£1.1m) he did not have for the right to drill in remote areas of Utah. He was convicted of defrauding the government last March.
In a phone conversation with The Guardian, a day ahead of sentencing, he said he was expecting jail time: “I do think I will serve some time in prison. That is what I think will be the next chapter in my life.”
DeChristopher’s lawyers had argued that his actions in December 2008 were a one-off, and that the judge should show leniency. They argued DeChristopher had not intended to cause harm.
However, Judge Dee Benson said DeChristopher’s political beliefs did not excuse his actions.
Read more about US Eco-Activist Jailed For Two Years
© 2011 The Guardian
Photo by Flickr user 350.org
Media Roots Radio- US Imperialism, Spying, Self-Censorship, Building Communities by Media Roots
MEDIA ROOTS – In this discussion, Abby & Robbie Martin cover US imperialism: wars, costs, media and government propaganda; the culture of self-censorship and the erosion of privacy in the US; information as power and how communication is an important tool to strengthen and build communities.
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