Former President Apologizes for Saving the World from Depression

Yeah, let’s go back to the brand of run amok corporate capitalism that nearly collapsed the world economy, totally unregulated greed. Some frat boy dunderheads never fucking learn…

State Bird of Louisiana Removed from Endangered Species List

Glynn Wilson

A brown pelican fishing on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay…

by Glynn Wilson

In the final act of a success story for federal environmental policy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has removed all populations of the brown pelican [pelecanus occidentalis] from the list of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

Decimated by the pesticide DDT used to kill mosquitoes that spread the deadly infectious desease malaria in the post-World War II period, the majestic bird has fully recovered due to the ban on DDT in 1972.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton made the announcement in Louisiana, where the brown pelican is the state bird.

“At a time when so many species of wildlife are threatened, we once in a while have an opportunity to celebrate an amazing success story,” Salazar said. “Today is such a day. The brown pelican is back!”

The brown pelican was first declared endangered in 1970 under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, a precursor to the Endangered Species Act. Since then, thanks to a ban on DDT and efforts by states, conservation organizations, private citizens and many other partners, the bird has recovered. There are now more than 650,000 brown pelicans found across Florida and the Gulf and Pacific Coasts, as well as in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The Fish and Wildlife Service removed the brown pelican population in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and northward along the Atlantic Coast states from the list of endangered species in 1985.

“Today’s action removes the remaining population from the list,” Salazar said.

“After being hunted for its feathers, facing devastating effects from the pesticide DDT and suffering from widespread coastal habitat loss, the pelican has made a remarkable recovery,” Strickland said at the press conference in New Orleans. “We once again see healthy flocks of pelicans in the air over our shores.”

Action was taken to protect the brown pelican, along with hawks, eagles and other birds, after former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Rachel Carson published the book Silent Spring in the early 1960s and alerted the nation to the widespread dangers associated with the unrestricted use of chemical pesticides, which rendered the birds’ eggs so fragile they could not support young.

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Birmingham Special Election Fast Approaching Dec. 8

by Glynn Wilson

The conviction and departure of Larry Langford as the controversial mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, and the fast approaching special election to replace him scheduled for Dec. 8, has a number of candidates scrambling to raise money, put up Web sites and hold press conferences to announce their intentions to run.

Attorney Patrick Cooper, who placed second to Langford in 2007, announced his candidacy last Thursday, saying he would fight unemployment, crime and declining schools.

The special election was set last week by the local election commission after Langford was convicted on 60 counts of bribery and fraud and removed from office. He still declares his innocence and vows to appeal.

Jefferson County Commissioner William A. Bell will officially declare his candidacy during a press conference on Thursday, November 12, at 10 a.m. across from City Hall at Linn Park.

Dr. Bell has dedicated many years toward serving the public and “brings years of honesty, integrity and experience with him as he pursues the office of mayor,” according to a press release. He is asking the residents who have trusted his vision and leadership in the past to come out and support his candidacy.

“For the good of the city, I am committed to making a sacrifice to move Birmingham forward,” he said. “In order to do that, we need you, the voters, to help us make that happen and make Birmingham the city it should be.”

Acting Mayor Carole Smitherman declined to say whether or not she would join the race, according to local press sources, but Greater Birmingham Ministries executive director Scott Douglas is planning to announce his candidacy Thursday morning at 10 a.m. in Kelly Ingram Park.

“People are tired of senseless conflict,” he said on his Facebook page. “I hear your frustration with broken promises, insufferable bureaucracies, unnecessary delays, deteriorating neighborhoods and broken communities. I not only recognize the need for increased cooperation and collaboration among people, neighborhoods non-profits, business, and governmental entities, I believe as mayor that I can help make such cooperation possible.”

Several local environmental activists have recently expressed an interest in the candidacy of Douglas on their Facebook pages. His campaign is promising “green jobs, green schools, green transportation, green communities.”

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