The Gray Squirrel vs. Red Squirrel

And now for a smattering of news for you guys to enjoy. . .

That ubiquitous college animal, the Gray Squirrel, is taking a bit of a beating over in the UK. Personally, squirrels have always freaked me out a bit. They are a little overly friendly, and every now and again you see a squirrel which is roughly the size of a beaver and perfectly capable to giving you a stare-down. Anyways, I read a hilarious article in the New York Times today about how a Lord Redesdale has begun a local grass-roots campaign to kill every single gray squirrel in Britain (in order to prevent them from out-competing the red squirrel). He sets traps but is also in favor of whacking them over the head. His partner keeps a few dozen squirrels frozen in the freezer for snack-time. Anyways, this is relevant to me because part of my thesis is about the human-modified environment and how it encourages the spread of certain species.
Check out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/magazine/07squirrels-t.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087&em&en=ca29be6b0366297e&ex=1191816000



I also read an article from Environmental Defense about the 10 best environmental corporate initiatives of 2006. One of the coolest ones was by Cisco, which invested a lot of money in telecommunication technology in order limit plane flights taken by executives. They believe it will cut down on their carbon emission by over 10%. As with any corporate initiative, you have to wonder what the other motives are. Plus, although I like ED, I sometimes see them as a vehicle for green-washing, or advertising for big corporations. But maybe I am just being cynical.

Check out:
http://waysthatwork.blogspot.com/2006/12/top-10-green-corporate-initiatives-of.html