Short Takes: News From All Over

Debunking Wanna-be Debunkers
By Staff, RealClimate
Back in December, a group of climate scientists launched www.realclimate.org as 'a way for scientists to fight back against the disinformation promoted by climate contrarians.' They use the site to post information about new studies and point out errors in media reports about global warming (and to debunk that Michael Crichton novel, State of Fear). -- Danielle Maestretti
http://www.realclimate.org/

Meat Packer's Union on the Chopping Block
By Sasha Lilley, CorpWatch
The Tyson Fresh Meats slaughterhouse and processing facility in Pasco, Washington, is taking the axe to more than just beef -- it's attempting to hack off the strong arm of the workers' union. Meatpacking is a dangerous vocation, but according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Tyson's Pasco operation has a rate of injury and illness more than double the national average for meatpacking plants. What will protect the workers from harm if they become union-free? Core values and religious beliefs appear to be Tyson's response. -- Marca Bradt
http://corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12122

The Lesson of Sativex
By Rob Kampia, AlterNet
On April 19, the Canadian government approved the prescription sale of Sativex, a whole-plant cannabis extract marketed to treat the pain and symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. AlterNet's Rob Kampia believes the new marijuana drug, also discussed in the May/June issue of Utne magazine, 'should be the final blow to the U.S. government's irrational prohibition against the medical use of marijuana.' -- Barb Jacobs
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/21818/
http://www.utne.com/pub/2005_129/promo/11634-1.html

Get Your Head in the Clouds
By Staff, The Cloud Appreciation Society
Dedicated to the wonder of clouds, with a mission to challenge 'blue-sky thinking,' The Cloud Appreciation Society believes that clouds are nature's poetry -- expressions of the atmosphere's moods -- and that contemplating them benefits the soul. This singularly purposed website includes a cloud chat room, a gallery of cloud 'look-alikes,' cloud-of-the-month photos, and poems on these 'sofas of the saints.' -- Marca Bradt
http://www.cloudappreciationsociety.org/