Archive for May 26th, 2015

Dust, TB and HIV: the ugly face of mining in South Africa

Guardian: Worried that his eyes and urine were turning a deep yellow, Gednezar Dladla made his way to a local clinic and was referred to a district hospital, where he was x-rayed, diagnosed with gallstones, and admitted for the night. Both institutions receive funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A day later, Dladla set off through the hills and valleys of rural Zululand to a village near his childhood home, where a group of men played cards in the shade of a tree. The...

Company behind giant telescope on Mauna Kea moves forward amid talks

Associated Press: Aside from the ongoing standstill atop Mauna Kea, those behind the Thirty Meter Telescope are moving forward with the $1.4 billion project. "While construction of the observatory itself has been halted, the project has not been canceled," TMT International Observatory Board Member Michael Bolte said in an email to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald on Tuesday. During the downtime, Bolte said TMT has been talking with community leaders to find a path where the parties can move forward together. "That said,...

Governor says deadly flooding is worst ever seen in Texas area

Reuters: Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday likened the ferocity of flash flooding that killed at least three people to a tsunami, and authorities said a dam had given way in a state park. Abbott declared states of disaster in 24 counties and flew over the area south of Austin to assess the damage caused by tornadoes, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and flooding that forced evacuations and rooftop rescues and left thousands of residents without electricity. "This is the biggest flood this area of Texas...