Raw sewage, organic beer, and global warming-related porn

I know all my recent posts have been random news & notes, but I've been busy lately, so calm down. Sip your coffee, relax, and enjoy the blog. I'll get back to posting more regularly, in the words of the great Napoleon Dynamite, whenever I feel like it. So there.

* The Union of Concerned Scientists (an organization best known for nearly hiring me as a press secretary five years ago despite my complete lack of knowledge at the time of what a press secretary actually did) has just put out a comprehensive report detailing the coming impacts of climate change. And let's not call them potential impacts or anything wishy-washy like that. Climate change is real, it's already happening, and the only question left is how severe the impact will be. Yes, it's depressing, but there are uninformed people out there who still argue that all is well. You need to be ready to refute their arguments, so read the report and get your talking points together. Now go, team, go!

* Another report -- if you're traveling to the American West in the future, don't bother packing a sweater.

* A major raw sewage spill is threatening Four Mile Run & the Potomac. Most of the water around DC inside the Beltway is already so polluted, it's a good idea to avoid contact with it, but in this case, it's a real health threat, especially for dogs. I heard about the spill through a text message from Arlington County, if you're not already signed up for Arlington Alert, you should do it now, it's really helpful!

* A follow-up to the recent organic beer question ... Business Week's cover story this week takes a look at the paradox of organic food -- as organic food becomes more popular, the business is being pulled further and further from its original ideals. And while I was fetching that link, I found another interesting Business Week article about green buildings.

* File under "you learn something new every day": I was trying to find a picture to go with the global warming stories below, and stumbled upon a porn series called "Global Warming: The Ed House Effect". Um, how can I put this? If you're at work, I would strongly advise against clicking that link.