It comes as a pleasant surprise — after years when thousands of farmers were driven off their land — to find in the 2007 Census of Agriculture that the number of farms in Iowa has risen to 92,856, a level last seen in 1992. Some 4,000 new small farms have been created since 2002. These very small farms, 9 acres or less, are producing a much wider array of crops than the rest of Iowa, which specializes in corn and soybeans. (From the New York Times Opinion Page)
Younger Farmers Making a Comeback in Iowa
Marks and Spencer Signs Biggest Renewable Energy Deal by UK Retailer
The UK’s largest retailer Marks & Spencer has signed the biggest renewable energy contract in that country’s retail sector history. The contract with npower will provide M&S with enough renewable electricity over six years to ultimately power all of the retailer’s stores and offices in England and Wales.
Under the landmark contract, which begins in April 2009, npower will supply M&S with electricity from its portfolio of renewable sources, which includes wind and hydro farms. Uniquely the contract also allows for a significant amount of the supply to be purchased directly from independent generators of renewables, meaning that M&S can continue with its pioneering drive to encourage the development of small-scale renewable electricity.
Iceland Nears Energy Independence With Hydrogen Power
It looks much like any other filling station: Shell-branded gasoline pumps along the shoulder of a busy highway. But this is no ordinary Shell station. It is the hub of one of Iceland’s most ambitious projects: The world’s first commercial hydrogen fueling station.
Power plants like this in the photo, right, produce much of the volcanic island’s green energy. Earth’s heat turns water to steam, which spins turbines.
Gene Therapy for AIDS Hailed as ‘Major Advance’
The largest clinical trial ever to administer genetically altered cells into humans with HIV revealed that the therapy was safe and effective and may lead to a cure for HIV.
The test involving 74 patients at UCLA was hailed as a “major advance in the field” of HIV research.
- Photo by Simmons.Kevin4208, CC license
‘Astonishing Richness’ in Polar Sea Species
The polar oceans are not biological deserts after all.
A marine census released Monday documented 7,500 species in the Antarctic and 5,500 in the Arctic, including several hundred that researchers believe could be new to science.
This photo, released by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life, shows a chionodraco hamatus, one of the Antarctic’s ice fish, which can withstand temperatures that freeze the blood of all other types of fish.
Painters Recreating Prehistoric Art in Lascaux (Video)
It may be cave art, but it takes high-tech expertise to bring the paintings of France’s Lascaux caves to life again. Artists are rushing to complete a new reproduction of the historic site before it’s too late. (Video from AFP here)
Paris Digs Deep to Harness Earth’s Energy
Paris is digging deep — nearly two kilometres deep — to tap into hot water that will provide ecologically clean heating for the city. (Read more at AFP)
Tax Breaks to Encourage Pet Adoptions
Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, from Santa Clarita, CA, has introduced legislation to provide a tax deduction, allowing individuals to deduct the adoption fees of animals from local government and non-profit animal shelters. ( Santa Clarita Valley TV)
Editor’s Note: This is quite a good idea, don’t you think?
Skiers Make Tracks on Dunes in Namibian Desert (Video)
A ski session on sand for extreme sports enthusiasts in the natural wilderness of Namibia’s desert. Skiing here is unlikely to spread, though. With no lifts, only the most dedicated will climb the dune in ski boots first!
(WATCH the video below)
Turning Crack Dealers Into Chief Executives
A prison project in Houston is helping to turn criminals into legitimate businessmen.
Four years ago Catherine Rohr was a venture capitalist on Wall Street. Then she left her job with its six-figure salary and decided to create the Prison Entrepreneurship Program, or PEP.
Crews Rescue Cat From Top of 6-Story Freeway Pillar
A cat was rescued from a six-story concrete pillar below the East Freeway in Houston when a local resident spotted the feline after hearing its frantic cries last week.
As Electric Cars Gain Currency, Oregon Charges Ahead
Last November, Oregon became the first state to develop standards for a statewide infrastructure of electric-car plug-in stations in terms of performance, safety, and voltage. The stations should be ready for purchase by interested parties, such as cities and private companies, by the end of 2009. Nissan, in turn, announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show that Oregon would be the site for the carmaker’s early introduction of its highway-ready electric cars around the same time. (Read more in Christian Science Monitor)
From Minnesota to Texas, Wind Power Sweeps New Jobs Into Old-tech Towns
Hundreds of workers lost their jobs after the printing press factory closed in Cedar Rapids in 2001. The hulking empty shell sat idle on the outskirts of the city for four years.
But that was before wind power blew into town, bringing thousands of clean-tech manufacturing jobs to Iowa and the Midwest. (Read more in the Christian Science Monitor)
Toddler Survived 18 Minutes Under Water
If a little girl falls into a freezing swimming pool and was deprived of oxygen for 18 minutes – three times longer than the brain can normally survive, doctors don’t hold much hope for her.
Brain scans showed little activity. “Doctor said to me, basically they’ve not seen a child been in the water this long and pull through,” recalls her father, Junior.
But some young children, particularly babies, have a special reflex that they had when they were in utero called the diving reflex, which essentially slows the body’s metabolism down to almost nothing. That is what saved three-year-old Oluchi Nwaubani. (Read more at CBS, or watch the video below)
Evolution Celebration Among Clergy Says Dichotomy Between Faith and Science is False
A growing number of churches view Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday this week and the 150th anniversary of his seminal work The Origin of Species as something to celebrate. More than 900 congregations in the U.S. and elsewhere are signed up for Evolution Weekend 2009, held on this day as an annual event, which began with a letter-writing campaign in 2004. (Read full story in Dallas Baptist Standard)
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Adds 5,000 Hybrids to its Green Car Fleet
Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced last week they will add nearly 5,000 gas/electric hybrid vehicles to its nationwide rental fleet and designate 80 “hybrid rental branches” – locations with a high concentration of hybrid vehicles available – in 24 major markets across the country including 10 of the nation’s busiest airports. (Envoronmental News Network)
What is a Hero?
In the media, words like “miracle” and “hero” can lose their impact. But, as Steve Hartman reports, true heroes do exist. This CBS video may take a moment to load.
Ice Shanties Become Art (Video)
Instead of sportsmen huddled inside these Minnesota ice shanties waiting for the fish to bite, participants in the Art Shanty Project make artistic statements with their shacks. The AP’s Jeff Baenen found everything from a dance shack to a confessional shanty.
(Video may take a moment to load)
Colorado School District Does Away With Grade Levels
To overcome low test scores and a high dropout rate, an entire school district is implementing radical reforms. For starters, when the elementary and middle-school students come back next fall, there won’t be any grade levels – or traditional grades, for that matter.
The 10,000-student district in metropolitan Denver is modeling its new “standards-based” program, where the students help plan the lessons, on an effort in Alaska that was able, in five years, to turn around the lowest performing schools in that state. (Read the full story in the Christian Science Monitor)
74-Year-Old Doctor Volunteers for War Zone (Video)
– a retired lieutenant colonel – re-enlists to go to Afghanistan and provide medical aid to military members and civilians. He said it is was his last chance to serve his country and do something adventerous. He works out 4-5 times each week and easily passed his physical exam.