An explosive new documentary, Bananas!*, examines global food politics by following the crusade of lawyer Juan J. Dominguez, as he fights for the rights of thousands of banana plantation workers in Nicaragua who have been made sterile from exposure to the banned pesticide DBCP (Dibromo Chloropropane). This toxic chemical has been shown to cause cancer in animals, sterility in humans, and has been banned in most of the Americas since 1977. The film follows Dominguez as he fights the behemoth Dole Company for restitution for the abused Nicaraguan workers in the US courts.
Rare Pangolin Surprises Urban Residents
August 15, 2009 By 2 Comments
A female pangolin was rescued after straying into an urbanized area of coastal Neelankarai and making her way into a garden. Unfortunately, the rapid development of the Neelankarai area is crowding into the surrounding wildlife habitat, and has required the recent rescue of many small animals by forest department officials. However, this was the first [...]
Illegal Trade in Endangered Asian Elephants Thriving Under Thai Loopholes
August 14, 2009 By 3 Comments
Current laws in Thailand make it easy for live elephants – including infant elephants stolen from their mothers in the wild – to be traded unscrupulously for “entertainment” purposes. For many people, thoughts of Thailand conjure up romantic notions of being transported to various tourist attractions on the back of an elephant. But tragically, many [...]
Ralph the Featherless Penguin Gets Designer Threads
August 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Great news for Ralph, the featherless penguin! Keepers at England’s Marwell Wildlife have fitted the penguin with designer duds made especially for him. Feathers, crucial in keeping penguins warm and dry, provide insulation and protection from the wind and weather. Each year, new feathers grow underneath the old, worn-out feathers. Once a new feather is in place, it pushes [...]
4 Million Pounds of Space Junk Polluting Earth’s Orbit
August 14, 2009 By 4 Comments
Millions of nuts, bolts, pieces of metal and carbon, and whole spacecraft from thousands of missions and launches form an orbiting garbage dump spinning around the Earth at speeds up to 22,000 mph. After the recent collision between a Russian and U.S. satellite, concern for the growing hazard of space junk is becoming even more [...]
