sundance

Naked news, gay marriage edition

Image is a summary of states’ attitudes on gay rights issues from a paper recently published in the American Political Science Review

• Maine residents will decide Tuesday whether to repeal a law allowing same-sex marriage, an effort that has succeeded in every state where it has been put before voters.
  
  
• Defenders and haters alike have descended on the state, where it seems the fight is neck and neck.

Five organizations fighting food poverty with organic farming

You may take access to fresh, organic produce for granted: if there’s a nearby farmers’ market or high-end grocery store, you likely have you pick of fruits and vegetables grown by organic standards. However, if you live in a food desert, or have a tight budget, such items likely strike you as luxuries. Farmers and food activists around the US not only recognize the presence of regions where fresh food is scarce; they’re also building organizations and even working farms to address unequal access to high-quality produce in these neighborhoods and communities. Here are a handful of groups not only growing produce, but also working to ensure it gets to those suffering from food poverty.

Design USA

The very first laptop computer was designed in 1982. It was chunky and boxy and had a phone attached, but where would be now without it, and more importantly, without its creator Bill Moggridge? Where would we be without Herman Miller or Google or Tupperware or Burt Rutan’s privately funded and awesome-looking SpaceShip One? All of [...]

Music video: Beni feat. Sam Sparrow, “Maximus”

A fun music video directed by Warran and Rhett of Moop Jaw featuring sassy kids break dancing to this electro-pop song, “Maximus” by Beni and Sam Sparrow. [Via]

Canada, Nunavut and Greenland Sign Polar Bear Pact

A polar bear conservation and management agreement between Greenland, Canada and Nunavut was signed today at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. The pact caps months of work by all three parties to protect bears in hunting areas shared by the Canadian territory of Nunavut and Greenland, including Baffin Bay and Kane Basin.

U.S., China Plan $1.5 Billion Utility-Scale Wind Farm in Texas

The U.S. Renewable Energy Group and Cielo Wind Power have entered into a joint venture agreement with China’s Shenyang Power Group to build a 600 megawatt wind farm across 36,000 acres in West Texas. This is the first time Chinese and U.S. entities have agreed to jointly develop a utility-scale wind power project.

Leopard Skin Smuggler Found Guilty by South Dakota Jury

A leopard shot seven years ago in South Africa caught up with a South Dakota man in an Aberdeen courtroom today.

$338M in Recovery Act Funding Energizes Geothermal Industry

The Obama administration is financing an expansion of the U.S. geothermal industry, investing $338 million in Recovery Act grant funding to support the exploration and development of new geothermal fields and research into advanced geothermal technologies. In addition, the grants will support the deployment and creative financing approaches for ground source heat pumps to heat and cool buildings.