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• Ecosystem Collapse Threatens a Fifth of All Countries

  Trillions of Dollars of GDP Depend on Biodiversity, Swiss Re Reports

  (The Guardian), Oct. 12, 2020 -

  One-fifth of the world’s countries are at risk of their ecosystems collapsing because of the destruction of wildlife and their habitats, according to an analysis by the insurance firm Swiss Re.

  Natural “services” such as food, clean water and air, and flood protection have already been damaged by human activity.

  More than half of global GDP depends on high-functioning biodiversity, according to the report, but the risk of tipping points is growing.

  
  Click now for the story.
• What Exxon Mobil Says Is Not What Exxon Mobil Does

  Mother Earth Does Not Thank You

  (ZME Science), Oct. 8, 2020 -According to internal documents obtained by Bloomberg, America’s largest oil and gas corporation Exxon Mobil was planning to increase its 2021 greenhouse gas emissions by 17% — an increase equivalent to the entire nation of Greece.

  That’s only Exxon Mobil’s own emissions, not the emissions produced by its customers burning oil. When that is also taken into consideration, the total impact would be about five times bigger.

  
  Click now for the rest of the story.
• EU Moves to Cut Carbon Emissions 60% by 2030

  The Move Must First Be Approved
  by the Council of Ministers

  (ZME Science), Oct. 8, 2020 -The European Parliament voted to update the EU’s climate target for 2030, backing a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, up from the current 40%. Lawmakers passed the proposal by 352 votes to 326, with 18 abstentions, sending the text to the EU Council of Ministers for final approval.

  The Parliament’s decision was part of a wider vote on a proposed European Climate Law, which seeks to pass the EU’s goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 into law. Jytte Guteland, the rapporteur on the proposed legislation, celebrated the news on her social media networks.

• The Micro-plastics Believed to Be on the Seafloor

  Up to 14 Million Tons, Last Estimate

  (ZME Science), Oct. 7, 2020 -The world’s seafloor is filled with 14 million tons of micro-plastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to a new study. It’s the first global estimate of sea-floor micro-plastics and the amount registered is 25 times greater than that shown by previous localized studies.

  Researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) looked at the deep ocean 380km (236 miles) from the coast of South Australia. They found that the number of micro-plastics on the seafloor was more than double the amount of plastic pollution on the surface of the sea globally.

  
  Click now for more of this story.
• The Guardian Climate Pledge

  The Magazine's Promise to Its Readers

  (The Guardian), Oct. 5, 2020 -In 2019, the Guardian made a pledge in service of the planet. We declared that the escalating climate crisis was the defining issue of our lifetime, and that quality, trustworthy reporting on the environment was an important tool to confront it. We promised to provide journalism that shows leadership, urgency, authority and gives the climate emergency the sustained attention and prominence it demands.

  We also vowed to practice what we preach, striving to green our operations as a global news organization and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

  
  Click now for more.
• Styrofoam Now Banned in Maryland

  State Shows National
  Leadership By Prohibiting This
  Dangerous Single-Use Plastic

  (Environment MARYLAND), Oct. 1, 2020 -Maryland’s statewide ban on polystyrene foam cups and containers begins today. In March 2019, Maryland became the first state in the country to pass a foam ban through its state legislature.

  Polystyrene foam ? commonly referred to as Styrofoam ? is one of the most common and hazardous forms of single-use plastic. Less than 3 percent of it is recycled, and once in landfills or the natural environment, it persists for hundreds of years. In a single year, Americans throw out 25 billion polystyrene foam cups, part of the 8 million tons of plastic dumped in waterways every year.

  
  Click now for the smart news.
• A New Enzyme Could Create Infinitely Recyclable Plastic

  Less Trash and Cheaper Stuff?

  (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 29, The researchers who made the improved version of the plastic-eating PETase enzyme have now developed a new ‘cocktail’ that can break down plastic much faster.

  Half of the cocktail is made up of the previous enzyme, PETase. The other ingredient, MHETase, is an enzyme found in the same strain of bacteria from which PETase was isolated. Together, they can break down plastic six times faster than alone, the team explains.

  The findings can help pave the way towards improved plastic recycling methods, the team explains, which would slash plastic pollution as well as the emissions from plastic production.

  
  Click now for this good news.
• World Leaders Pledge to Halt Earth’s Destruction

  60 Countries Promise to
  Put Wildlife and Climate at Heart
  of Post-Covid Recovery Plans

  (The Guardian), Sept. 28, 2020 -World leaders have pledged to clamp down on pollution, embrace sustainable economic systems and eliminate the dumping of plastic waste in oceans by the middle of the century as part of “meaningful action” to halt the destruction of nature on Earth.

  Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau, Jacinda Ardern and Boris Johnson are among 64 leaders from five continents warning that humanity is in a state of planetary emergency due to the climate crisis and the rampant destruction of life-sustaining ecosystems. To restore the balance with nature, governments and the European Union have made a 10-point pledge to counteract the damage to systems that underpin human health and wellbeing.

  
  Click now for the promising news.
• Oh, What's Wrong With a Brain-Eating Microbe in Your Tap Water?

  Texas Residents Warned of Tap
  Water Tainted With Naegleria fowleri

  (The Guardian), Sept. 26, 2020 -Texas officials have warned residents of some communities near Houston to stop using tap water because it might be tainted with a deadly brain-eating microbe.

  The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality warned the Brazosport Water Authority late on Friday of the potential contamination of its water supply by Naegleria fowleri.

  The commission issued an advisory warning people not to use tap water for any reason except to flush toilets in Lake Jackson, Freeport, Angleton, Brazoria, Richwood, Oyster Creek, Clute and Rosenberg.

  
  Click now for more, if you can stand it.
• Pollution's Effect on the Trees in Siberia and the Arctic

  Industrial Pollution in the Arctic
  is Fasr Worse than We’ve Assumed

  (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 25, 2020, The findings are based on the analysis of tree-rings and wood chemistry around the city of Norilsk in the Russian Arctic. According to the authors, ecosystems in this region have been “devastated” by decades of nickel and copper mining, and the effects extend far enough to disrupt the global carbon cycle. They also explain that die-offs have spread to almost 100 kilometers away from the city.

  Norilsk is the northernmost city in the world, housing around 100,000 people. It’s also one of the most polluted places on Earth due to intensive mining operations for nickel, copper, and palladium which have been ongoing since the 1930s under very little environmental regulations. A spill in May 2020, which involved around 17,500 tons of diesel oil making its way into local rivers, further destroyed local ecosystems.

  Click now for more.
• The Failing US Utilities Emissions Targeting

  They're Not Doing Enough
  to Meet 2050 Targets

  (Renewable Energy World), Sept. 24, 2020 - ‘Zero-percenter’ utilities show significant gaps between their stated goals and the required actions to achieve full decarbonization by 2050.

  “The math simply doesn’t yet add up,” says Deloitte in a review of the actions being taken by 22 United States utilities – ‘zero-percenter utilities – that have announced net zero or carbon free electricity goals.

  For example, these utilities have yet to schedule the retirement of 87% of their coal capacity. They have harnessed only 9GW out of a 400GW rooftop solar potential in their territories. And they have barely started to integrate the growing battery capacity from transport electrification that will convert them into necessary flexible grid assets.

  
  Click now to learn more.
• Is Your Water Polluted By Fracking?

  There's An App for That!

  (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 24, 2020, Exposing drinking water to hydraulic fracturing fluid increases the risk of many adverse health outcomes. Unfortunately, knowing the risks posed by a particular well is very difficult due to the wide range of chemical ingredients used across sites. Now, researchers have created an app that changes this radically.

  Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to release the oil or gas held within naturally occurring pockets of shale or other dense rock deep within the earth. While it’s not a new technique, it saw a major increase in use since the early 2000s. Following this growth, reports started linking fracking with an increase in seismic activity.

  Penn Medicine researchers have created an interactive tool, called WellExplorer, that allows community members and scientists to find out which toxins may be lurking in their drinking water as a result of fracking. You just have to type your ZIP code in the website or the app and look at the fracking sites near you, with information on the chemicals used at each of them.

  Click now for the whole story.
• The Richest Are Much Worse For the Environment

  Emissions From This 1% Are
  Double That of the Poor

  (Thje Guardian), -Sept. 21, 2020, Not everyone holds the same responsibility for climate change, according to new research, which showed that the richest 1% of the world’s population produced twice as much carbon dioxide emissions as the poorest 50% between 1990 and 2015.

  A report compiled by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute showed that CO2 emissions rose by 60% over the 25-year period. The increase in emissions from the wealthiest 1% was three times greater than the increase from the poorest half of the world over the same timeframe. This means that the rich are quickly exhausting the world’s carbon budget, the limit of greenhouse gas emissions mankind can produce before damaging temperature increases become unavoidable.

  The increase in emissions was mainly driven by overconsumption and carbon-intensive transportation.

  Click now to learn more.
• LEGO Plans Let Go Of Plastic Packaging

  They've Responded to Complaints
  From Kids Using the Product

  (INHABITAT), -Sept. 18, 2020, Kids have spoken, and LEGO has listened. “We have received many letters from children about the environment asking us to remove single-use plastic packaging,” Niels B. Christiansen, LEGO Group CEO, said in a statement. “We have been exploring alternatives for some time and the passion and ideas from children inspired us to begin to make the change.”

  The Danish toymaker announced Tuesday that it will replace the plastic bags inside boxed LEGO sets with recyclable paper bags. Over the next five years, the company expects to completely phase out the plastic bags.

  Click now to learn more.
• The Health Risks From Wildfire Smoke

  What We Know and Don’t Know

  (Science News), -Sept. 18, 2020, Acrid smoke continues to pollute skies in the western United States. On some recent days, the air quality in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles has been so hazardous, it’s ranked among the worst in the world.

  It’s hard to predict when the smoke will fully clear. And with some parts of the West having faced a week or more of extremely polluted air, the unusual, sustained nature of the assault is increasing worries about people’s health.

  There’s plenty of evidence that air pollution — a broad category that includes soot, smog, and other pollutants from sources such as traffic, industry and fires — can harm health. The list of medical ailments associated with exposure to dirty air includes respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

  Click now to learn more.
• A Device to Curb Micro-plastic Emissions

  Tire Attachment Designed
  By Four Students Aims to
  Reduce Road Transport Pollution

  (The Guardian), -Sept. 17, 2020, A device that captures micr-oplastic particles from tyres as they are emitted – and could help reduce the devastating pollution they cause – has won its designers a James Dyson award.

  The Tyre Collective, a group of masters students from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art, scooped the UK prize of the international competition with their solution for the growing environmental scourge of tyre wear caused by road transport.

  Every time a vehicle brakes, accelerates or turns a corner, the tires wear down through friction and tiny particles become airborne. This produces 500,000 tonnes of tyre particles annually in Europe alone. Globally, it is estimated tyre wear accounts for nearly half of road transport particulate emissions. It is also the second-largest micro-plastic pollutant in the oceans after single-use plastic.

  
  Click now for more.
• World Biodiversity Goals Are Not Being Met

  Not a Single Target Set
  in 2010 Has Been Reached

  (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 17, 2020, World leaders have failed to meet a set of important biodiversity goals, meaning ecosystems are still experiencing severe difficulties as a consequence, according to a United Nations report. In fact, not one single biodiversity target has been met ten years after they were proposed. Still, it’s not too late to act, with the UN calling for urgent action and to make major changes before the collapse of the natural world becomes inevitable.

  The Global Biodiversity Outlook, published by the Convention of Biological Diversity (CDB), showed the progress the world has made in meeting the 20 Aichi biodiversity targets, which were set 10 years ago with a deadline to meet them by 2020. They are the equivalent to the Paris Agreement on climate change but on biodiversity.

  Click now to learn more.

• Brazil Fires Devastate the World’s Largest Tropical Wetland

  The Amazon Fires Have Now Reached the Pantanal Amid a Severe Drought

  (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 11, 2020, The world’s largest tropical wetland, the Pantanal, is burning at a record speed in Brazil, with fires expanding fast and threatening its biodiversity. This is happening on a backdrop of a record fire season in the whole Amazon region, with President Bolsonaro being questioned by the international community.

  With an area of 150,000 square kilometers, the Pantanal crosses the Brazilian border and extends through Bolivia and Paraguay. It’s known for its impressive biodiversity, attracting visitors from around the world eager to see jaguars, caimans, toucans, monkeys, giant otters, and many other species living there.

  Click now for the whole story.

• Now Ecological Threats Will Force Displacement

  More Than One Billion People
  Face That Possibility By 2050

  (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 11, 2020, The international think-tank the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) said in its Ecological Threat Register (ETR) report that 1.2 billion people living in 31 countries aren’t sufficiently resilient to endure ecological threats. The report combines measures of resilience with comprehensive ecological data from the UN and other organizations.

  “Ecological threats and climate change pose serious challenges to global peacefulness. Over the next 30 years, lack of access to food and water will only increase without urgent global cooperation. In the absence of action civil unrest, riots and conflict will most likely increase,” said Steve Killelea, founder of the IEP, in a statement.

  The country with the largest number of people at risk of mass displacements is Pakistan, followed by Ethiopia and Iran, according to the report. Haiti faces the highest threat in Central America. In these countries, even small ecological threats and natural disasters could result in mass population displacement.

• Plastic Food Packaging Now the King of Beach Trash

  Plastics Now Outpace
  Cigarette Butts For That Title

  (National Geographic), -Sept. 8, 2020, Candy wrappers and chip bags have become the most commonly found beach trash, surpassing cigarette butts as the top item for the first time.

  That dreary statistic is among the findings in the Ocean Conservancy’s latest report on its annual beach cleanup, when more than 20.8 million tons of trash were collected from the beaches in 116 countries in 2019. That’s 32.5 million items picked up in one day.

  Even as plastic packaging, which made up nearly 45% of the plastics produced in the U.S., Europe, China, and India between 2002 and 2014, became the dominant plastic in the global waste stream, the lowly cigarette filter clung to first place for the 34-year history of the Ocean Conservancy’s beach cleanups. Now it ranks number two, with 4.2 million butts recovered. Food wrappers top the list, with more than 4.7 million individual wrappers gathered.

• Asphalt Is a Major Source of Air Pollution

  Especially True During Summer Weather

  (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 3, 2020, A petroleum-based substance, asphalt is almost everywhere, from roads and roofs to driveways and paved streets. The US alone has about 18 million tons of it. Unfortunately, it seems that all that asphalt is also the source of air pollution, especially in the summer heat, according to a new study.

  Researcher Peeyush Khare from Yale University and his team were curious about the potential impact of asphalt on air quality, especially in cities, as about 45% of urban surfaces are covered with asphalt. Its uses include paving (mixed with stone aggregate), roofing, and in products such as sealants.

  No studies have previously quantified emission rates, which are essentially absent in emission inventories. The only exception has been solvent evaporation from cutback asphalt application, which was found to have elevated concentrations of hazardous air pollutants.

  Click now for the full story.

• The Era of Plastics Might Be Coming to an End

  Thank You, Moonlighting Microbes

  (CleanTechnica), Sept. 1, 2020 -Petroleum stakeholders have been seeking safe haven in plastics and other petrochemicals now that global demand for fossil fuel is crashing. However, science is about to crash the gate with new bio-based alternatives. In the latest development, researchers have discovered that certain microbes can moonlight as refineries. They can produce ethylene, a building block for all sorts of plastics as well as glues, coolants, and other products that currently rely on oil and gas.

  Click now for the story.

• Now You're Cooking With Gas - Should You Be?

  Should You Give Up Cooking With Gas?

  (The Guardian), Aug. 28, 2020 -A future without gas stoves is already looking likely for some Australians. In the Australian Capital Territory, plans are underway to phase out domestic gas use, and gas infrastructure is no longer required for new suburb developments.

  “The fact is, natural gas is a polluting fossil fuel and we must eventually phase it out in favor of clean energy,” says the ACT’s minister for climate change and sustainability, Shane Rattenbury. With uncertainty around gas prices, Rattenbury says the move “is also good for household bills”.

  Click now to read all about it.

• Veggie Patties vs Meat Burgers

  The Environmental Impact Compared

  ZME SCIENCE, Aug. 28, 2020 -No matter how you look at it, veggie patties are much better for the planet than beef. From the popular alternatives and the lesser-known ones and simple plant alternatives, nothing comes even close to beef.

  It’s not really hard to envision a not-too-distant future where we transition to renewable energy. Even phasing out oil and coal seem plausible. But one environmental culprit seems much harder to phase out: meat.

  Click now learn what's at 'Steak.'

• Water is a Greater Commodity Than You Might Have Thought

  Between 30% to 50% of
  the World’s Water Supply
  Is Stolen Every Year

  ZME SCIENCE, Aug. 27, 2020 -As much as 30% to 50% of the world’s water supply is stolen annually, with the agricultural sector largely to blame, according to a new study. The findings highlight the lack of information behind water theft and the relevance of the issue amid a global competition for water.

  While there’s no agreed-on definition of water theft, it essentially involves taking water in violation of regulations. It can be anything from installing unauthorized connections to water distribution systems or tampering with meters, to tapping boreholes without licenses, all with the objective of not paying for water.

  Click now to read the article.

• The U.S. Has a Real Water Crisis

  It's Far Worse than Could have Been Imagined

  The Guardian, Aug. 24, 2020 -Our water has become so toxic that towns are issuing emergency boil notices and shipping in bottled water to their residents. In 2016, as I started research for my new book Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It, members of our very own US Congress had their water shut down in Washington due to unsafe lead levels.

  We are in a water crisis beyond anything you can imagine. Pollution and toxins are everywhere, stemming from the hazardous wastes of industry and agriculture. We’ve got more than 40,000 chemicals on the market today with only a few hundred regulated. We’ve had industrial byproducts discarded into the ground and into our water supply for years. This crisis affects everyone – rich or poor, black or white, Republican or Democrat. Communities everywhere think they are safe when they are not.

• The End of Oil Is Near

  And the Pandemic May Speed Its Demise

  SIERRA, Aug. 24, 2020 -This past spring, coastlines around the globe took on the feel of an enemy invasion as hundreds of massive oil tankers overwhelmed seaports from South Africa to Singapore. Locals and industry analysts alike used the word armada—typically applied to fleets of warships—to describe scenes such as when a group of tankers left Saudi Arabia en masse and another descended on China.

  One distressed news article proclaimed that a “floating hoard” of oil sat in tankers anchored across the North Sea, “everywhere from the UK to France and the Netherlands.” In April, the US Coast Guard shared an alarming video that showed dozens of tankers spread out for miles along California’s coast.

  On May 12, Greenpeace activists sailed into San Francisco Bay to issue a challenge to the public. In front of the giant Amazon Falcon oil tanker—which had been docked in the bay for weeks, loaded up with Chevron oil—they unfurled a banner reading, “Oil Is Over! The Future Is Up to You.”

• US Air-force Wants to Bomb a Tribal Sanctuary

  This Desert Refuge Is Sacred

  SIERRA, Aug. 20, 2020 -The Desert National Wildlife Refuge and the Sheep Mountain Range within it are known to Paiutes as Nah’gah Kai. It is a landscape mountain range that holds special meaning for the Paiute, a landscape that is central to their Nuwuvi history, stories, and beliefs, a landscape that has been under constant attack by the United States Air Force for decades.

  Cultural sites, bighorn sheep, and the endangered desert tortoise are among the many other precious resources central to our people’s ways and culture that are found within the refuge—and which long have been within the bombing practice area of air force pilots

  . Now, the air force is pushing to ramp up its destruction of the Paiute people’s history and culture by seeking to expand by 300,000 acres its bombing range within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.

  Click now for the whole story.

• Building Without the Concrete Carbon Footprint

  A Method Found to 3D Print
  Buildings From Any Local Soil

  ZME SCIENCE, Aug. 20, 2020 -New research is making it possible to print buildings from the ground up — quite literally.

  Most construction materials today require intense processing to create. This makes them both relatively expensive, and quite damaging from an environmental point of view. But new research could make buildings dirt-cheap, by allowing their construction from actual dirt.

  The building process involves a 3D printer creating the load-bearing structure out of soil (this is the part of the building that keeps it up), with the final touches to be completed from other locally-available material.

• Plastic Particles In Human Organs

  The Harms That It Could Cause

  ZME SCIENCE, Aug. 18, 2020 -While studies on wildlife have linked plastics to several health problems, their effects in humans are still mostly unknown. Now, a new study has found evidence that human organs and tissue absorb both nano- and microplastics, which could help us understand their impact on our health.

  Plastics are one of the most severe environmental problems of our time. They are very durable, even in the most extreme environmental conditions, making them the worst kind of material to be floating around the ocean or washing up on pristine beaches.

  But that’s not all; they can also easily break down. Researchers define microplastics as plastic fragments less than 5 mm, or about 0.2 inches, in diameter. Nanoplastics are even smaller, with diameters under 0.001 mm. Exposure to such plastic in wildlife can lead to cancer, infertility, and inflammation.

• 5 Automakers Make Deal on Greenhouse Gasses

  These Companies Are In Defiance
  of Trump's Rule Rollbacks

  NY Times Climate Forward, Aug. 17, 2020 -California on Monday finalized a legal settlement with five of the world’s largest automakers that binds them to comply with its stringent state-level fuel efficiency standards that would cut down on climate-warming tailpipe emissions.

  Monday’s agreement adds legal teeth to a deal that California and four of the companies outlined in principle last summer, and it comes as a rejection of President Trump’s new, looser federal rules on fuel economy, which would allow more pollution into the atmosphere.

  Mr. Trump was blindsided last summer when the companies — Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen — announced that they had reached a secret deal with California to comply with that state’s standards, even as the Trump administration was working to roll back Obama-era rules on fuel economy. A fifth company, Volvo, said in March that it intended to join the agreement and is part of the legal settlement that was finalized on Monday.

• Nestlé Accused of Polluting a French River

  Fishermen Bring Lawsuit For
  the Killing of Tons of Fish

  ZME SCIENCE, Aug. 17, 2020 -The food giant Nestlé is being accused of polluting a local river in the region of Ardennes in the east of France, where a local fishing federation has filed a legal complaint after finding tons of dead fish in the river. It will take 10 years to get the fish levels back to normal, they argue.

  The fishing federation of Ardennes said they found scores of dead fish in the Aisne river last weekend close to a Nestlé factory, accusing the company of breaking the local environmental code. In an initial inspection, the local prefecture said the deaths were due to lower oxygen levels in the water.

• A New Concrete Recipe

  Concrete Is Responsible for
  About 8% of Global Emissions

  NY Times Climate Forward, August 11, 2020 -On any given day, Central Concrete, in San Jose, Calif., does what concrete companies have been doing for centuries: combining sand, gravel, water and cement to create the slurry that is used in construction.

  But Central — one of a handful of companies at the forefront of a movement to make a greener concrete — is increasingly experimenting with some decidedly new mixtures.In one part of the plant, carbon dioxide from a chemical gas company is injected into the concrete, locking in that greenhouse gas and keeping it out of the atmosphere, where it would contribute to global warming.

  Click now to read all about it.

• Reducing Urinary Glyphosate Levels in U.S. Children and Adults

  Try an All Organic Diet

  ScienceDirect, Aug. 11, 2020

  • Diet is a primary source of glyphosate exposure.

  • Organic diet reduced glyphosate and AMPA exposure in U.S. families.

  • The reduction was rapid, reaching baseline in three days.

  Click now for the story.

• Algae-based Flip-flops to Tackle Plastic Waste

  Shoes With the Smallest Carbon Footprint

  [ZME SCIENCE], Aug. 10, 2020 -Flip-flops are the world’s most popular shoe — but they also represent a large percentage of the plastic waste that ends up in landfills, on seashores, and in the oceans. But now there might be a better alternative, as researchers have come up with biodegradable flip-flops entirely made from algae.

  Researchers from the University of California San Diego have developed polymer foams from algae oil that meet commercial specifications for midsole shoes and the foot-bed of flip-flops. They are sustainable, consumer-ready, and biodegradable materials that will eventually reach the shops.

  Click now for the rest of the story.