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According to a report soon to be published in Solar Energy, the official journal of the International Solar Energy Society, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on roofs are also doing a surprisingly good, if unexpected, job of keeping houses and buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Aimed at helping Americans buy "green" and also saving the environment through fewer greenhouse gas emissions, the Energy Star program now has a new gold standard. It's called 'Most Efficient', and represents additional, critical energy efficiency standards manufacturers must follow to earn the label.

On June 12, U.S. House Republicans failed to revoke the lighting efficiency restrictions mandated by the 2007 law, The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, or HR 6. This law would phase out incandescent bulbs, and is one that Republicans themselves sponsored.

The debate over autism's cause has been raging for several decades, with most medical personnel favoring nature (genetics) over nurture (environment). Last week, however, an extensive study of twins published in the Archives of General Psychiatry demonstrated that the link may be, if not predominately environmental, then at least as much so as the heritable genes through which disease and traits are passed down.

Add to this the massive dislocations predicted by rising ocean levels, crop failures, spreading drought and increasingly severe storms, and we are facing a future which both Nierenberg and Carpenter see - from their perspective working with pastoralist communities in Samburu, Kenya and St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, - as fraught with displacement, disease and starvation.

It appears to be a sort of virus - a crisis of conscience - spreading across South America, as more and more governments, driven by the will of their people, begin to realize that La Madre, Mother Earth, is not simply a thing to be exploited for Her riches, but an entity that has needs and even rights of Her own.

From the page: "Most people associate formaldehyde with embalming the dead, and if that were its only use, it might be okay. But it isn�t. It is also used in makeup and cosmetics, and in the �oeengineered” wood (particle board, plywood, etc.) in your tabletop, furniture and flooring. It is even used in vaccines, not to mention antiseptics, medicines, dishwashing liquids, fabrics, fabric dyes, fabric softeners, shoe-care agents, carpet cleaners, glues and adhesives, lacquers, paper products and plastic."

First, says economist Robert Reich, we'll exempt the first $20,000 of income from payroll taxes for the next two years. This will put cash directly into American's pockets and boost consumer spending. We'll make up the revenue shortfall by applying Social Security taxes to incomes over $500,000.