E Magazine articles from November 2005

E Magazine archives from November 2005

Joltin' Joe.(E Word)
November 1, 2005... I always found it amusing that New York Yankee slugger Joe DiMaggio--"Joltin' Joe," as the sportscasters dubbed him--went on after retirement to stump for kitchen coffee makers. But one thing Mr. Coffee never jolted us with were the real facts...

Fishing for answers.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... Thank you for the outstanding coverage of the problems facing the world's oceans ("Ocean Rescue," cover story, July/August 2005). As the articles point out, two blue-ribbon commissions have separately come to the same conclusion: our oceans are...

Don't forget soy allergies.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... E's article on peanut and tree nut allergies ("Going Nuts," Eating Right, July/August 2005) failed to warn parents that children with nut allergies are at risk of severe--even fatal--reactions to soy. A 1999 article in the journal Allergy...

Hooray for hybrid cars.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... I am both saddened and frustrated to see the comments of fellow E Magazine readers against hybrid cars over recent issues (Advice and Dissent, March/April 2005 and July/August 2005). Hybrid cars offer a no-brainer, readily available...

NPG responds.(ADVICE & DISSENT: Letters from our readers)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... I was very surprised to see three letters to the editor in the My/August issue of E Magazine (Advice and Dissent) criticizing Negative Population Growth's advertisement. Perhaps the three writers should look at the many polls that show the vast...

The biodiesel band bus.
November 1, 2005... Zachary Matthews, who sings and plays mandolin and fiddle with the Hot Buttered Rum String Band, fondly recalls how he and his band mates met... on a backpacking trip. The call of the wild brought them together, and it keeps them together. The...

Bluewater Network: a mission to curb emissions.
November 1, 2005... Fishing has been a way of life on the waterways of India's Kerala state for millennia, but in more recent years some of the ancient boats have added small outboard engines. In the early 1990s, Russell Long worked in Kerala as a fisheries...

Musseling in.(bridge reconstruction to protect sea shores)
November 1, 2005... In a rare show of mussel power, scuba-diving scientists on the Allegheny River are moving thousands of endangered bivalves to make way for bridge reconstruction in Forest County, Pennsylvania. But increased housing construction on the shores of...

Harnessing the waves.(ocean energy usage)
November 1, 2005... The notion that ocean tides can be harnessed to create pollution-free electricity made a crucial jump from drawing board to reality this fall. After seven years of prototype testing and preliminary studies, state and federal regulators have...

Talking turkey about biofuels.(Changing World Technologies Inc. biofuel production technololgy)
November 1, 2005... A factory stands in Carthage, Missouri with a singular purpose: transforming turkey byproducts--beaks, feathers, bones and all--into oil. "It's real," says Alan Libshutz, president of Changing World Technologies (CWT), the small New York...

Highly combustible: debating the risks and benefits of LNG.(liquefied natural gas)
November 1, 2005... A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a giant Thermos bottle longer than three football fields. LNG tankers carry nearly three billion cubic feet of natural gas that has been chilled to -260 degrees Fahrenheit, converting it to a...

Chemical Christmas: immigrant tree farm workers face pesticide dangers.(christmas trees pesticide dangers)
November 1, 2005... Every Christmas, little Katie Alvarez asks her daddy for two trees, one for her formal living room, and one for the family room. Katie has no idea what those trees might cost her father. Treating Christmas tree fields each spring, farm-worker...

Strawberry fields: are we doomed to use methyl bromide ... forever?(CURRENTS)
November 1, 2005... The papery star of leaves capping the red fruit might be green, but the California strawberry industry is not. At issue is methyl bromide, the ozone-depleting biocide berry growers use to keep their products looking "farm flesh," and to...

Open aquaculture: are fish farmers solving their own problems?(CURRENTS)
November 1, 2005... On the computer screen, 30,000 cod are swimming about in the dim green waters of the Gulf of Maine, circling the perimeter of their enormous cage. They're 40 feet below the North Atlantic swell, six miles off the New Hampshire coast. Fed by an...

Mining threatens New Zealand's national bird.(UPDATES)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... "Clean and Green" New Zealand struggles with many contradictions, including high cancer rates (see "Clean and Green New Zealand is a Study in Environmental Contrasts," May/June 2003). Today, New Zealand's endangered national bird, the kiwi, is...

Destructive "reform".(endangered species act)
November 1, 2005... Congressman Richard Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, introduced legislation that would sharply curtail the power of the Endangered Species Act (see "Fall of the Wild," cover story, May/June 1999). Pombo has long been a vocal...

Katrina foreshadowed.(Feeling the Heat: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Climate Change book by Colin Woodard )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... E's 2004 book Feeling the Heat: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Climate Change (Routledge), based on a special feature in the September/ October 2000 issue of the magazine, reported on many of the connections between intense storm damage and...

Grounds for change: the tempest brewing in your morning cup.
November 1, 2005... In the brightly colored basement of an old fraternity house in Bloomington, Indiana, an eclectic group of customers gather daily over coffee. Proudly home to kitschy 1970s furniture and vintage wall hangings depicting Neil Armstrong, JFK and...

Coffee and you: how healthful is it?
November 1, 2005... In the American heartland, high school students huddle over free coffee refills in a chain diner, the only place away from home where they can hang out in the middle of the night. At a truck stop in the Southwest, a woman takes another big gulp...

Chocolate's dark side.(sustainable cocoa bean production)
November 1, 2005... What do coffee and chocolate have in common besides caffeine, some reputed health benefits and a desirable flavor? They are both popular in developed countries but grown largely in the developing world. Both are derived from what are known as...

The throwaway generation: 25 billion Sytrofoam cups a year.
November 1, 2005... According to the coffee cup waste calculator at Dzignism.com--an independent project of graphic designer and environmentally concerned coffee consumer Kieran Lynn--when you purchase one cup of coffee in a disposable container every day you are...

What do all those labels mean? Coffee is marketed under a variety of "causes".
November 1, 2005... In the rugged highlands of Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, local people still harvest some of the world's best-tasting beans. As Oxfam explains, "The coffee-growing area in the mountains to the west of the Great Rift Valley is so ideally...

The make-up labyrinth: understanding cosmetics and your body.(Your Health)
November 1, 2005... Despite a scattering of media reports over the years, most consumers don't give much thought to the recognized allergens, probable carcinogens, hormone disrupters and inadequately tested industrial chemicals in the perfumes, nail polishes,...

Sustainable seafood: all fish dishes are not created equal.(Eating Right)
November 1, 2005... Americans are putting more of the other-other white meat--fish--on the table than ever before. The average person eats 15 pounds per year, contributing to a $46 billion consumer seafood market, according to Seafood Choices Alliance. That's...

Gardening with moss: the humble plants provide many benefits.(House & Home)
November 1, 2005... Despite environmentalists' warnings, Americans spend large amounts of time and money on products that eradicate moss from their manicured lawns. This, along with unchecked commercial harvesting and damage by pollution, has caused a serious...

The new grapevine: green investors can't ignore blogs anymore.(Money Matters)
November 1, 2005... For environmentalists interested in socially conscious investing, Internet weblogs ("blogs" for short) are becoming a can t-miss source of opinion, commentary and information. Whether you want to choose stocks, follow the latest environmental...

Magical mystic: enjoying a salty slice of old New England.(Going Green)
November 1, 2005... New England's coastal towns are some of America's oldest, and few have a more storied or colorful past than Mystic, Connecticut in the southeastern part of the state. Wedged roughly halfway between Boston and New York City, Mystic Harbor is...

The hot hybrids: Detroit scoffed, but the gas/electrics are here to stay.(Consumer News)
November 1, 2005... With $1 billion in taxpayer money poured into the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles in he 1990s, Detroit's Big Three developed a trio of hybrid vehicles (with both gasoline and electric drivetrains for maximum fuel economy). The...

Affordable chic.(More Trees Clothing Company organic clothes)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Looking for reasonably priced 100 percent organic cotton and hemp clothing for the environmental activist on your Christmas list? More Trees Clothing Company is one place to look. San Francisco-based More Trees offers a variety of options in...

Hit the showers.(organic soaps from Pangea Organics)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... With 100 percent vegan ingredients, Pangea Organics' soaps and shower gels are a natural, unique and refreshing way to clean. The company's handmade bar soaps (4.5 ounces, $5.99), blend organic base and essential oils with herbs to create...

Organic integrity.(organic products from Sun Dog Hemp Body Care)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Counterculture icon Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps recently acquired Sun Dog Hemp Body Care, and has now launched a new line of hand/body lotions, lip balms and body/tattoo balms that meet the standards of the USDA's 100 percent organic rules for...

Something good on TV.(Global Warming: The Signs and the Science documentary )(Brief Article)(Television Program Review)
November 1, 2005... November is an unusually good month for television with substance. On PBS stations Wednesday, November 2 at 8 p.m. (check local listings) is Global Warming: The Signs and the Science, a documentary underwritten by two obvious stakeholders,...

A global voice.(Palm World Voices sound recording by Chris Blackwell )(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
November 1, 2005... Producer and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell was a pioneer in introducing reggae music (including Bob Marley) to Western audiences; he has also worked with Cat Stevens, U2 and Melissa Etheridge, and is an inductee in the Rock and Roll...

Toaster treats.(Nature's Path organic pastries)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... In response to rising demand for organic foods, Nature's Path has created USDA-certified organic toaster pastries. These apple cinnamon, blueberry or strawberry pastries ($3.49) come in 11-ounce boxes of six and can be frosted or unfrosted....

Healthy cleaning.(Green Clean book by Linda Mason Hunter )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Does household cleaning give you headaches, nausea, dizzy spells or sign irritations? Green Clean (Melcher Media, $16.95) by Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin may be the book for you. This book is a step-by-step guide to a clean and...

Humane cooking that tastes great.(Dining with Friends cookbook info)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Connecticut-based Friends of Animals has been working on behalf of creatures that walk, swim, climb and crawl for decades. Helping keep them alive and not on dinner plates is the group's new vegan cookbook, Dining with Friends ($19.95)....

Saving stripers.(In Striper Wars: An American Fish Story by Dick Russell)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... In 1982, when there were only an estimated 4.6 million I striped bass in American coastal waters, the nation's commercial fishermen were insisting that this prized game fish needed no special treatment, that they could rebound on their own...

One woman's strength.(An Unreasonable Woman book by Diane Wilson )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... "A reasonable woman adapts to the world. An unreasonable woman makes the world adapt to her" Diane Wilson writes, loosely quoting George Bernard Shaw. So begins a captivatingly true story of Wilson's fight to save her town and way of life from...

Not just another guide book.(The Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Natural Foods Restaurants published by Vegetarian Resource Group )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Any vegetarian or health nut who plans on traveling across the U.S. should pick up the expanded fourth edition of The Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Natural Foods Restaurants in the U.S. and Canada (Vegetarian Resource Group, $12.95). The book...

Opening all the cages.(Empty Cages: Facing the Challenge of Animal Rights by Tom Regan)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Animal rights has long been a hot-button topic in American culture, attracting attention not only from activists and angry opponents, but also from scholars intrigued by its philosophical underpinnings. Tom Regan, a retired professor at North...

Industrial ecology comes of age.(Journal of Industrial Ecology edited by Reid Lifset)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Edited by Reid Lifset and colleagues of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the bi-annual Journal of Industrial Ecology (MIT Press) is an excellent resource for anyone seeking to find solid, peer-reviewed information about...

A great panda adventure.(The Lady and the Panda book by Ruth Harkness )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... In 1936, a dress designer and Manhattan socialite by the name of Ruth Harkness decided to embark upon a journey into the wilds of China. Her plan was to pursue the elusive and mysterious giant panda. Her mission was said to have been doomed...

Hurricanes and CD jewel cases.(EARTH TALK: Questions & Answers About Our Environment)
November 1, 2005... Did global warming cause Hurricane Katrina or make its impact worse?--John O'Dwyer, Hull, MA NO single storm or its intensity can be attributed to climate change alone, but scientists do believe that warmer ocean temperatures as a result...