Watt's My Line?

Imagine trying to lose weight without knowing which was more fattening: carrot sticks or leftover pecan pie? One look at your most recent electric bill will probably make an energy diet seem like a good idea, but how to know which appliance is the wattage-wasting equivalent of pecan pie? Enter the Kill A Watt, an inexpensive ($30 street price) electricity-usage monitor that you can attach to an appliance to determine how much it costs to run. Knowledge can be more than power; it can be power-saving.

Thanks to Cool Tools.

Bad Wrap

Everyone likes to get presents. Well, almost everyone. No matter. If you do open some presents today, take a moment to think about what you're going to do with the wrapping paper. Hint: You don't want to toss it on the yule log....

Out with the Old...

Although it looks like 2005 will end on a high point (that nail-biting last-minute save of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, of course), this wasn't a great year for the environment. It was certainly eventful, though. From attacks on the Endangered Species Act to Hurricane Katrina to that $3-a-gallon wake-up call, a lot was going on. The editors of the Sierra Club's RAW newsletter thus had no shortage of candidates for their annual poll about "2005's Top Environmental Event."Cast your vote now. If you don't see the event that you think deserves the nod, feel free to add a write-in nomination in the comments here.

In with the New

Folks in the market for a new hybrid are waiting until the new year to make the purchase. And who can blame them, what with the government offering much bigger tax credits on the fuel-efficient models in 2006. (Nothing mind you, next to the massive subsidies they're giving the fossil fuels industry, but oh well.) In case you missed the news, starting January 1, purchase of a Prius could take more than $3,000 off your tax bill. But beware the fine print: The amount of the credit depends on the car, and the offer is only good on the first 60,000 units of each model sold.

Civilization and its Discontents

Just finished A Short History of Progress by Richard Wright. It reads like a slightly more eloquent and more concisely argued (if also less detailed) version of Jared Diamond's Collapse, which came out at almost exactly the same time. I highly recommend reading both, but if you only have time for one, I would reluctantly choose Wright over Diamond. While they don't agree on all counts, the two authors cover much of the same territory and advance roughly the same thesis: that great civilizations -- from Sumer to Easter Island to the Mayan kingdom -- are often trapped and ultimately undone by their own success. Both authors place their hope in our ability to learn from the mistakes of the past. Inshallah.

To Surveil and Protect

A series of videotapes shows evidence of New York City police officers conducting covert surveillance at various public gatherings, including a demonstration at the Republican National Convention, a Critical Mass bike ride, and a vigil for a bicyclist who had been killed in an accident. A police spokesman insists the undercover cops infiltrate such events only to keep order and protect free speech.*

The revelation comes on the heels of news that the FBI has been compiling intelligence on advocacy groups like Greenpeace as well as President Bush's recent admission that he secretly permitted the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens without a warrant. The New York Times, which sat on that story for a year, now reports that:

In New York, the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg* persuaded a federal judge in 2003 to enlarge the Police Department's authority to conduct investigations of political, social and religious groups. "We live in a more dangerous, constantly changing world," Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said.

We certainly do. But it would be nice to hear the commissioner explain how spying on mourning bicyclists is supposed to make us any safer.

*At the Critical Mass bike ride, one of the cops, no doubt exercising her right to free speech, wears a button reading "Mayor Bloomberg Sucks." Only sucks is spelled $uck$.

Accelerating Off a Cliff?

Stats aren't available for 2005 yet, but the Energy Department reports that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions reached an all-time high in 2004, rising at a rate nearly twice the annual average. Moreover, revised measurements show that 2003 had the second-highest output. 2005 is expected to continue the upward trend.

You may remember that, just two weeks earlier, in Montreal, Bush administration climate negotiator Harlan Watson was boasting that "the United States has done better in the first three years of the Bush Administration in addressing greenhouse gas emissions than the EU." What Mr. Watson failed to explain was that the temporary dip in U.S. emissions in 2001 and 2002 had absolutely nothing to do with Bush administration policies and everything to do with a slowdown in economic growth, due in part to the 9/11 attacks. Whereas Kyoto strives to reduce emissions to 5% below 1990 levels, U.S. emissions have risen 16 percent since 1990.

Unfortunately, news from the EU is not encouraging either. The Guardian reports that

A paper published next week suggests 10 of the 15 EU countries committed to reducing climate-change gases under the Kyoto agreement will fall short of their targets unless they take urgent action. Only the UK, Sweden and France are remotely on target, the Institute for Public Policy Research is expected to say, while Denmark, Ireland and Italy are up to 20% off target. Emissions are rising in 13 of the 15 countries.

News from the developing world is no better. Indeed, New Scientist reports that, between 1992 and 2002, emissions in China and India increased by 33% and 57% respectively.

There are some glimmerings of hope, of course. The fact that the U.S. economy grew faster than emissions suggests that American industry is becoming more carbon efficient. And in the Northeast, seven states have banned together to reduce their power plant emissions in a Kyoto-style pact.
Alas, it's hardly enough. Lord Rees, the president of the UK's Royal Society says the industrialized nations will have to cut emissions by at least 60% by 2050 in order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations at twice pre-industrial levels.

So far, says Chris Jones at the UK's Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, it looks like "business as usual." As such, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that we, as a planet, are moving in the wrong direction and that our collective foot is on the accelerator when we should be stepping on the brakes.

56-44, That's Our Number

We have been lampooning Senator Stevens as the Grinch lately, but apparently the Alaska Republican fancies himself more the muscular superhero than the puny-hearted villain: Stevens has been wearing his Incredible Hulk tie on the Senate floor. In either case, he gives green a bad name.

No matter. The great good news is that, even in Hulk guise, Senator Stevens was unable to throw enough weight around to get the 60 votes he needed to keep Arctic drilling in the defense spending bill, where even pro-drilling advocates knew it didn't belong. In the face of a threatened filibuster, the provision was finally dropped. For now, at least, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is safe.

So, let there be much rejoicing in Who-ville! Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, the Senator's heart will treble in size.

Arctic Nuclear Option?

As if it weren't bad enough that Senator Ted Stevens attached Arctic drilling to the wholly unrelated defense spending bill at the very last minute, now it seems he is preparing to push the button on what is being characterized as a temporary, targeted "nuclear option" that would allow a simple majority (51 votes, rather than the usual 60) to head off filibuster in the Senate. This is against the rules, of course, but who needs rules when there's oil to be had?

The Year in Cyclones

The 2005 hurricane season is represented in the NASA animation on this page (warning: longish download) showing sea surface temperature fluctuations in the Atlantic along with the storm tracks of all 30 tropical depressions, a record 26 of which became named storms. The record-shattering season was remarkable right down to the bitter end, with the unlikely Hurricane Epsilon defying forecasters to become the longest-lived December hurricane despite relatively cool sea surface temperatures and strong wind shear.

Good Night and Good Luck

First we learn, belatedly, that President Bush has authorized the NSA to spy on U.S. citizens without having to secure a warrant from the courts. Now, we learn that the FBI, also acting with 9/11 as its justification, is assembling dossiers on groups as diverse as Greenpeace and Catholic Workers -- the latter suspicious for having -- get this -- "semi-communistic ideology." Suddenly, it's 1950 all over again.

Raid on Who-ville

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, still smarting after his pet pork projects -- the infamous "bridges to nowhere" -- were publicly exposed as gross boondoggles, now appears bent on opening the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to drilling by any means necessary. To hear the Senator tell it, he's willing to hold not only the defense spending bill hostage to his scheme, but also Katrina relief funds and even the holidays themselves. Says the Senator: "This is the end game, O.K., and I have been involved in end games for a lot of years. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not leaving. I have canceled my trip home. I will be here through Christmas if necessary."

You'll find more of the Senator's holiday wishes here.

Tsunami: A Year Later

As the first anniversary of the December 26 Tsunami approaches, officials from the U.N. Environment Programme and elsewhere are taking stock of what remains a terrible situation. Among the most daunting problems are lack of wastewater treatment and mind-boggling amounts of waste and debris to contend with. To put the problem in context, the U.N. says the Sept. 11 attacks generated 42 million cubic feet of waste, while Sri Lanka alone was saddled with more than twice that much -- some 95 million cubic feet, much of which wound up in waterways and wetlands. But experts stress that the destructive impact of humanity has been far worse than the tidal wave itself: The tsunami only exacerbated the problems.

Meet the New Grinch

"Katrina will be on this [defense] bill. That's what makes the defense bill a little bit attractive because Katrina will be there. It is going to be awful hard to vote against Katrina." -- Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, explaining how he plans to force approval of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

We're not the only ones appalled by the Senator's actions. Here's what a few of his colleagues on the Hill are saying:

• "Policy changes ... and huge amounts of money are put on these appropriations bills, which leads to the kind of practices which the American people and I find so disgusting."
  - Senator John McCain, R-AZ
  
  
• "The defense appropriations bill -- the bill to take care of the fighting men and women of the United States -- is being held up because they can't figure out a way to grovel and satisfy the oil companies."
  - Senator Harry Reid, D-NV
  
  
• It is utterly despicable to be put in a position of choosing between funding our troops and opposing bad public policy. My positions on the war, on private-school vouchers and on ANWR drilling are clear. If we have learned anything from the Bridge to Nowhere debacle, it's that the American people expect Congress to take a hard look at legislation before it and to reject proposals added at the last possible minute and which have absolutely no relation to the true purpose of this legislation. I urge my colleagues to keep the defense bill focused on protecting our troops ."
  - Congressman Joe Schwarz, R-7th/MI

Call of the Mild

Looking for an emissions-free mode of transport to the corner store?

Got a dog?

Get a scooter.

That's right: It's all about dog-powered scooters. Make the pooch work for his kibble.

Mush!

Tin Tin in the Real World

Inspired by Belgian cartoon hero Tin Tin's adventures in Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge, Jacques Cousteau's grandson, Fabien, has created a robotic shark-shaped submarine for studying the ancient predators.

In the Tin Tin cartoon, the shark submarine was a rigid device designed by Professor Cuthbert Calculus, of course. The real-life engineer for Cousteau's flexible, swimming shark was Eddie Paul. This was his third mechanical shark for the illustrious Cousteau clan. No word on whether any real-life fox terriers were on hand to serve as trusty sidekick.

The point of his adventures in the shark-sub, insists Cousteau, is to dispel the myth of Great Whites as demonic and monstrous. Footage taken from the sub will be used in an upcoming documentary on the subject.

Many species of pelagic shark have experienced dramatic declines in recent decades. To cite one example: By comparing today's catches with catch records from the 1950s, researchers estimate that once-abundant white tip sharks in the Gulf of Mexico have declined by 99 percent and are now "ecologically extinct" in the region.

To the Near and the Dear Ones

Fallen behind on your holiday greeting cards? Don't sweat it. Here's a quick, eco-friendly way to catch up. With our new Sierra Club holiday email postcards, you can fire off festive e-mail greetings to all your friends and family. Use your own photos or one of ours. It's fast, free, and all cards are printed on 100-percent recycled pixels.

Gaining TRAXion

Ridership on Salt Lake's celebrated light rail system has gotten heavy -- literally. According to the Utah Transit Authority, there were a record 52,000 TRAX passengers in October, and their collective was causing some problems. Struggling under the weight, some cars have actually been compressed onto the tracks, with doors catching on train platforms. Not to worry: officials from UTA say the problem has been fixed. In any event, it's the kind of problem we think more urban planners would welcome.

Mining Provision Dropped

The odious mining provision that was surreptitiously tucked into the budget bill has died a quiet but much-deserved death. The AP reports that the rule, which provoked outrage among hunters, anglers, environmentalists and basically everyone else who cares about public lands, faced strong bipartisan opposition in Congress. Critics had feared the rule would have allowed mining companies to convert mineral claims on public lands, including national parks, to condominiums or even landfills. Republican Senator Conrad Burns of Montana spoke for many when he said the idea was "crazy." For his part, Death Valley National Park superintendent J.T. Reynolds welcomed the news of its demise as a "welcome stay of execution."

Thinning Ice

Everest may be the world's highest peak, but the summit of Ecuador's Chimbarazo has the distinction of being the farthest point from the center of the Earth. That's because the 20,560-foot volcano is just a degree removed from the planet's bulging waistline.

From Kilimanjaro to the Himalayas, tropical glaciers around the world are fast disappearing, and Andean volcanoes like Chimborazo are no exception. The melting trend has dire implications for many population centers located in arid regions -- such as Lima, Peru and La Paz, Bolivia -- that depend on glacial run-off for both hydroelectric power and a year-round water supply.

To learn more on the subject, see Mark Bowen's highly recommended new book, Thin Ice, which follows Ohio State climatologist Lonnie Thompson in his urgent quest to unlock the climate secrets of tropical glaciers. It's a story that combines far-flung, high-altitude adventures with complex, high-stakes science. At one point in his book, Bowen muses that Thompson's cold room in Ohio may soon be the last repository of tropical mountain ice on Earth.

Drowned Out

"For anyone who has wondered how global warming and reduced sea ice will affect polar bears, the answer is simple -- they die." So says University of Alaska marine biology professor, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal. Amid greatly diminished Arctic sea ice, it seems, polar bears are increasingly forced to swim long distances to hunt. In the process, some of those bears are tiring and drowning -- something never before documented.

Overheard

Quotes from the climate conference in Montreal.

Everything Will Not Be Illuminated

Syriana, the new geopolitical thriller starring George Clooney, opens in cinemas nationwide today. The Sierra Club is a partner in outreach efforts associated with the film. The message of the Syriana-inspired Oil Change campaign is as simple as the movie is complicated: We need to kick our oil dependence.

Did I say complicated? Well, that's what everyone else says. While reviews of the film have been almost universally positive, most critics comment on the frustratingly opaque narrative. Despite that (or perhaps because of it) the movie wins high praise from prominent sources: The Los Angeles Times says Syriana is "an unapologetically entertaining major studio release with compelling real-world relevance," while the New York Times says Syriana "aims to be a great deal more than a standard geopolitical thriller and thereby succeeds in being one of the best geopolitical thrillers in a very long time." In other words, it's not your typical Hollywood pablum.

Maybe that's because it's steeped in the nasty realities of international petro-politics. NPR's Robert Siegel, who says the movie made him want to rush out and buy a hybrid, interviewed the real-life inspiration for the Clooney character on All Things Considered. Ex-CIA officer Robert Baer explains that the movie's title comes from Washington think tanks, where wonks in conference rooms dream of creating a Middle Eastern country whose politics are more favorable to US oil interests. Sound familiar? The problem is everyone has a different notion of what this fictitious country, Syriana, looks like.

Baer, whose book See No Evil, was a launching pad for the script, vouches for the film's overall authenticity. He also acknowledges the confusing aspects of the film's narrative. "If you sit in this movie and try to figure out how everybody fits together, ... forget it. This is not Elf II." The confusion, he insists, is intentional, mirroring as it does the chaotic clash of agendas and muddled intelligence in the Middle East. "That's the whole point. It's this smart, smart movie," says Baer, "and they want you to be confused. And you walk away feeling the system's broken."

Transit Beta

The busy elves at Google Labs have rolled out a new test product. It's a free transit trip planner that, in addition to allowing you to search for public transit routes based on arrival time or immediate departure, also compares the cost of your transit ticket to the cost of driving to the same destination. Note: The actual computation is based strictly on the standard cost-per-mile deduction (40.5 cents) that the IRS allows businesses to claim. Still, useful information. For now, Google Transit is only available for Portland, Oregon, but the company says it plans to roll it out across the country and around the world.

Iron Chef

Many cooks are wondering whether their non-stick pans are safe, and with good reason. Tests show that pans coated with Teflon and analogous products release toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures -- fumes that are fatal to birds and may cause flu-like symptoms in humans. Increasing awareness of the issue has led chefs like the New York Times' Mark Bittman back to cast iron. Seasoned correctly, the old-fashioned, inexpensive cookware is as non-stick as coated pans. What's more, iron heats more evenly than stainless steel or aluminum.

Slow Recovery

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer in 1985. Soon afterward it was discovered, scientists tracked the cause of the disappearing ozone to a class of chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) found in propellants and refrigerants. The good news is that the 1987 Montreal Protocols phased out most CFC production, and today the ozone hole is slowly mending. The bad news is that the process is taking longer than previously predicted. Full recovery of Earth's protective ozone layer is not expected until around 2065.

Vintage Sierra Club

Ready for some holiday cheer? The Sierra Club now offers its very own California-grown, 100 percent organic wine. For more Sierra Club products, check out our online store where you'll find stuff like books, calendars, apparel, even fair trade coffee and chocolate.

Three Cheers for Stewards

Think of it as being kind of like a Genius Award for environmental volunteers. REI just announced its latest Stewards for the Environment -- and awarded $120,000 in grants to six environmental heroes and their programs

"...based on evaluation of the impact of their individual efforts, investment of time and effort, creativity in approaching their volunteer efforts and ability to involve others in their work."

The Sierra Club is built on the efforts of extraordinary volunteers all over the country, so we were excited to see among the winners Lisa Hellman of the Club's Orange County Inner City Outings program, which provides low-income, inner city youth with trips to wilderness.

A Terrible Likeness

Any attempt to expose Congressman Richard Pombo's anti-environmental agenda to a wider audience seems worthy, but this Seattle Post-Intelligencer cartoon by David Horsey is somewhat misleading. In no way does the House Resources Committee Chair resemble the dashing metrosexual who appears here.

Cool Cities

The newest issue of Business Week contains a special report on global warming, including lists of the "low carbon leaders" in both business and government. Their list of Top City Governments in terms of emissions reductions planning and results:

1. Woking, England
   
2. Vaxjo, Sweden
   
3. Portland, Oregon
   
4. Heidelberg, Germany
   
5. Toronto, Canada
   
6. Barcelona, Spain
   
7. London, England
   
8. Seattle, Washington
   
9. Melbourne, Australia
   
10. The Hague, The Netherlands

Interesting to note that three of those cities -- Portland, Seattle and Melbourne -- made the list despite the failure of their federal governments to ratify Kyoto. For more on how municipalities are joining (and, in some cases, taking the lead) in the fight against global warming, see the Sierra Club report Cool Cities, which includes a map of 183 cities whose mayors have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

As a final note, Business Week worked with the Climate Group and Innovest to compile its lists. And while it should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind, we proudly note that the magazine's panel of judges included Elizabeth May, executive director of Sierra Club of/du Canada.

Phase-Out

Microsoft today announced that it will have phased out the use of polyvinyl chlorides, better known as PVCs, from the packaging of its products by the end of this year. The phase-out is part of a growing trend among companies reacting to health and environmental concerns about the popular plastic, which can release dioxins, phlatates and other harmful compounds into the environment.

You've doubtless been exposed to PVC hazards -- whether you knew it or not. That new-car smell? That's off-gassing from PVCs. Same with that new-shower-curtain odor. Indeed, PVCs are hard to avoid, being found in products ranging from vinyl siding for houses to children's toys -- even (gasp!) sex toys.

Want to know if a product has PVC in it? Does it smell like a shower curtain or a new car? That could be a tip-off. Also, check the recycling label. Is there a 3 inside the triangular recycling symbol or a "V" underneath it? That product is made of PVC. Ironically, according to the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, PVC is not readily recyclable and can even contaminate other recycled plastics if mixed in the waste stream. Thankfully, there are alternatives.

To learn more about the risks and realities of PVCs, be sure to see Blue Vinyl, the award-winning documentary by Judith Helfand. The film's tagline: A toxic odyssey for the whole family.

Green Grinds

We environmentalists are all supposedly a bunch of dour fuddy-duddies. Likewise, the world's privileged youth are often maligned as resource-gobbling apathetics. It's always gratifying, then, to see hip young segments of the population subvert these stereotypes. Take Brazilian-American pro skateboarder Bob Burnquist. Burnquist, 29, is one of the world's best stuntwood specialists, respected by the inner circle for feats like looping a natural fullpipe without a roll-in and famous among the MTV generation (and their parents) for his X-games exploits. No nihilistic-skater pose here: Burnquist is an up-front environmentalist and sustainability advocate who runs a small organic farm on his SoCal property (right next to his skate ramps), eats low on the food chain, and eschews the junk-food sponsorships some skate pros succumb to. (He's a recent endorsee of Stonyfield Farms organic yogurt, in fact.) Right on, Bob. While we're at it, a crack of the tail goes to the Washington, D.C.-based Greenskate Laboratory. Using environmentally sound building techniques, this all-volunteer crew built a beautiful bowl, right on the city's bus lines, using only discarded tires and other recycled materials. Git some!

There's a Word for It

Or at least there is now -- solastalgia: the sadness caused by environmental change.

Climate Year in Review

In addition to the record-obliterating hurricane season, 2005 is also on pace to go down as the hottest year on record, (beating out the El Nino year of 1998); the year with the most extensive Arctic melting ever recorded; and the year with the warmest Caribbean. 2005 also saw the driest Amazon in decades, drought persisting in the American West, and weather-related insurance losses three times higher than any year previous. At the Montreal climate conference, former head of the Canadian meteorological service, Gordon McBean, told reporters, "This doesn't prove in a mathematical sense that these were caused by climate change triggered by human activities. But it's exceedingly unlikely that all these things are happening by chance. All this is what climate scientists have been warning would happen."

Interminable

The 2005 hurricane season set so many records, it hardly seems worth mentioning this last one (at least let's hope it's the last one). Nevertheless, here it is: Epsilon has become the longest-lived December hurricane in the history books, with sustained winds of 75-85 mph for more than 48 hours.

Okay, now quit.

Under the Hood, Part II

In the interest of making you an informed citizen (not to insult you with the name, 'consumer'), here's another explanation of how hybrids work, this one from Car Talk's Click and Clack, aka the Magliozzi Bros. of Cambridge, MA. If the Howstuffworks link made your eyes glaze over, this one may be more your speed.

Alma Mater EARTH

Ever heard of EARTH University in Costa Rica? Initially funded with US government money, the private, not-for-profit university has turned 15. The name is actually an acronym -- Escuela de Agricultura de la Region Tropical Humeda -- which translates somewhat less glamorously to School of Agricultural of the Tropical Humid Region. The school attracts students from across Latin America, the majority of whom receive financial assistance to attend. EARTH's academic focus centers around the agricultural sciences, natural resources and sustainable development. Intrigued? If so, visit Grist to ask Earth University's president, Jose Zaglul, any question you want.

Montreal: Icing the Puck

With the COP 11 climate conference underway in Montreal, Generation Kyoto wants you to know that a cherished Canadian value is at risk: Hockey. No, not the indoor, Zamboni-and-freon-dependent sport of the NHL, but the honest-to-god, old-school variety played on frozen ponds on crisp winter days. As someone with happy memories of slapping pucks across the town pond, it's a cause I can get behind. Save hockey, eh! Body check greenhouse gas emissions! Our man in Montreal, Fred Huette, was on hand for the December 1 Save Hockey protest game, played without ice. You can read Fred's reports from the scene here.

Under the Hood

So, what exactly makes a hybrid a hybrid? That and more explained at Howstuffworks.

The Epsilon Enigma

Just when we thought we were done with the 2005 Atlantic tropical cyclone season, Tropical Storm Epsilon went and became a bone fide hurricane -- the 14th of the year -- leaving forecasters perplexed. As Reuters reports:

Hurricanes need warm water for fuel and forecasters were perplexed at Epsilon's tenacity in the chilly north Atlantic, where it had been expected to fizzle.

"I am not going to speculate any more on the future intensity of Epsilon," hurricane forecaster Lixian Avila said in an advisory on the Miami-based hurricane center's Web site.

The hurricane season officially closed on November 30, but December cyclones, while rare, are not unheard of.

Cold Fire

In a vivid clash of fire and ice, Mount Belinda, in the remote South Sandwich Islands, has been in a persistent state of eruption since 2001. In the color-enhanced satellite image, a river of lava 90-meters wide flows from the ice-bound summit at 4,494 feet to the Weddell Sea, where it throws up a massive plume of steam.

Hot damn, how cool is that!

Gore-Tex or Gabardine?

When mountaineers discovered the frozen body of George Mallory high on Mt. Everest in 1999, they found the long-deceased climber dressed in many tattered layers of silk, cotton and wool beneath a gabardine shooting jacket. Perfect for the conditions, say some modern researchers.

Rising First, Shining Best

Only three celestial bodies are sufficiently bright to cast a shadow on Earth -- the Sun, the Moon and ... Venus. Heads up, stargazers: According to this item from NASA, the best time to catch Venus at peak brightness for 2005 (and without the Moon interfering) is right now.

Auto Trends

From the Washington Post:

The sales spiral of the Ford Explorer demonstrates consumers' shifting tastes. It was once one of the nation's most popular vehicles, but Ford sold fewer than 12,000 last month, a 52 percent drop from November 2004.

At the height of the SUV boom in 2002, Ford routinely sold 25,000 to 40,000 Explorers a month.

5-Minute Education

Oxford University now has a Flash presentation on the Web that gives visitors a clear, concise tutorial on the Basics of Climate Prediction. Highly recommended.

New Year, New Car, New Solar Panels?

With the new year approaching, here's something you may want to start thinking about: A new car.

In 2006, a purchase of a hybrid vehicle qualifies you for a tax credit of more than $3,000. Not a tax deduction mind you, which simply reduces the gross income you're taxed on, but a tax credit, meaning it's deducted directly from taxes owed.

Similarly, installing solar power in your home can translate to as much as $4,000 off your tax bill. There are actually two credits there, each worth $2,000 -- one for installing photovoltaic cells to produce electricity, the other for installing a solar water heater.

The hybrid car credit is good through 2010, but keep in mind that the credits vary by model and are capped at 60,000 vehicles per automaker. With Toyota selling the Prius at a rate of 10,000 per month, you might want to start planning your purchase now.

Benzene Near and Far

The 50-mile-long benzene slick that resulted from a November 13 chemical spill in Northern China has passed the city of Harbin (population 4 million), but continues flowing down the Songhua River, heading for Russia and the Amur River.

Both rivers were heavily polluted even before the spill, with benzene levels in the Amur already 1.3 times what is considered safe and the Songhua being likewise considered unfit for consumption. Nevertheless, Harbin relies on the river for 80 percent of its water supply.

Benzene, a fundamental aromatic hydrocarbon associated with petroleum production, is a known carcinogen. It has also been in the news in New Orleans recently, where some environmental monitoring groups say the EPA neglected to report highly elevated levels of airborne benzene in the aftermath of Katrina.

Art for a Cause

Here's a gift idea: The Hurricane Poster Project is selling limited edition hurricane-related posters designed by artists from the United States and around the world. All profits are said to go directly to the Red Cross. The project aims to raise one million dollars for the relief organization. Some of the posters are angry, and some are hopeful. As art goes, they are all pretty affordable.