Scientists fear toxic algae bloom spreading on Pacific coast

Stretching from southern California to Alaska, this year’s blooms thought to be the largest ever recorded

by Ryan Schuessler

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The toxic algae blooms in the Pacific Ocean stretching from southern California to Alaska — already the largest ever recorded — appear to have reached as far as the Aleutian Islands, scientists say.

“The anecdotal evidence suggests we’re having a major event,” said Bruce Wright, a scientist with the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association, the federally recognized tribal organization of Alaska’s native Aleuts. “All the populations [of marine mammals] are way down in the Aleutians.”

While algal blooms are not uncommon in the Pacific, 2015’s blooms appear to be the largest on record, scientists say. Stretching from Southern California to Alaska, the blooms are responsible for unprecedented closures of fisheries and unusual deaths of marine life up and down the Pacific coast.

Pseudo-nitzchia is one species of algae that produces domoic acid, a neurotoxin that can be lethal to humans and wildlife. The toxin is ingested by shellfish and krill that, when consumed, pass the toxin onto the predator — in some cases, people.

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http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/8/1/scientists-fear-toxic-algae-bloom-continues-to-spread.html

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Former Gov. Bob McDonnell must lose his state pension under legislation that he himself signed

RICHMOND – Former Gov. Bob McDonnell must lose his state pension under legislation that he himself signed into law, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in an opinion released Friday.

The law's intent was always clear: Government officials convicted of a felony for misconduct in office would lose their state pensions. It passed after former Newport News Del. Phil Hamilton was indicted in 2011.

But there was a potential catch in McDonnell's case: The law leaves it to the employer to determine that the misconduct occurred after the law passed, and to inform the Virginia Retirement System.

Who, some wondered, employs a former governor?

Gov. Terry McAuliffe asked Herring to weigh in, and Herring's office determined that it's the sitting governor, whom the Virginia General Assembly has previously identified as the "chief personnel officer of the Commonwealth."

Now McAuliffe will inform McDonnell, grant him a hearing required by law and move to cancel his pension, spokesman Brian Coy said. The formal notice will come within a few days, Coy said.

more

http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-mcdonnell-pension-20150731-story.html

Tony Norman: Bernie Sanders for president: Yes, he could

By Tony Norman / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has more than a few fans in Pittsburgh, judging by the turnout for his first televised meet-up since his poll numbers began shifting in a positive direction nationally. The muggy Wednesday evening air did its best to discourage a line from forming outside the Spirit Lounge on 51st Street in Lawrenceville, but 350 supporters squeezed into the former Moose Lodge that had once been the home to many a studio ’rasslin’ night.

After ponying up the suggested $5 donation at the door, the cross-generational crowd of Democrats and fellow travelers jockeyed for the best vantage point in front of a projection screen on the east end of the hall. Mr. Sanders would televise his remarks to 3,100 similar gatherings across the country from an apartment in Washington, D.C., shortly after 7 p.m. Eastern time.

According to organizers, Mr. Sanders would be addressing as many as 100,000 supporters nationwide — a number that should concern the complacent Democratic establishment, even though the insurgent candidate trails former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton by as much as 40 points in some polls.

Still, Bernie Sanders has roughly the same level of name recognition that Sen. Barack Obama had at this point in his underdog campaign against Mrs. Clinton. Unlike Mr. Obama, who was still trying to justify his candidacy to skeptical black leaders already committed to Mrs. Clinton in the summer of 2007, Mr. Sanders is drawing more energetic and enthusiastic crowds than Mrs. Clinton — a sign that the party’s progressive and liberal base is hungry for something it isn’t getting from its presumptive front-runner.

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http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/tony-norman/2015/07/31/Tony-Norman-Bernie-Sanders-for-president-Yes-he-could/stories/201507310202

Australia walks away from Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal talks

Source: The Guardian

The world’s biggest regional trade deal – Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – is still within reach despite Australia walking away empty-handed from the latest talks, the federal government says.

The trade minister, Andrew Robb, confirmed that a conclusion was not be reached on the $200bn deal during the latest round of negotiations in Hawaii.

“Australia had made some excellent progress but unfortunately some difficult issues were not resolved,” he said on Saturday.

Robb has laid the blame for the failure to come to an agreement with the “big four” economies of the US, Canada, Japan and Mexico. “The sad thing is, 98% is concluded,” he said.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/aug/01/australia-walks-away-from-trans-pacific-partnership-trade-deal-talks?CMP=soc_567