MBTA to give free rides from Logan airport

Passengers taking Silver Line buses from Logan Airport will ride for free starting Wednesday, a move that also means free transfers to the subway system at South Station and appears to make Logan the first major airport to provide free public transportation for travelers heading downtown.

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Eric Moskowitz

Why don't mosquitoes die in the rain? They're too small

Mosquitoes thrive in rainy climates, even though a typical raindrop can weigh up to 50 times as much as the insect. Scientists have thus long pondered how mosquitoes can fly through a rainstorm without getting killed by such collisions, the impact of which is comparable to a human being hit by a bus. The short answer is that the mosquitoes are so light that they simply hitch a ride on the raindrop without any significant force being transferred to them  http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-mosquitoes-rain-20120604,0,2743358.story?track=rss

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Science Now by Thomas H. Maugh II

 

Controversial Malibu Lagoon project to begin Friday

State contractors are to drain and reshape the polluted Malibu Lagoon. Activists, who say the project would destroy the salt marsh and flatten Surfrider Beach's waves, pledge to stand in the way. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-malibu-lagoon-20120526,0,2289147.story

Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Tony Barboza

SpaceX capsule completes historic mission

The Dragon capsule is recovered after splashing down in the Pacific. The SpaceX vehicle is the first privately built and operated spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station.

 

About 563 miles west of Baja California, SpaceX's Dragon space capsule successfully splashed down after spending nine days in outer space.

When the unmanned cone-shaped capsule hit the water at 8:42 a.m. Pacific time Thursday, it marked the end of a historic mission carried out by the Hawthorne company officially known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp. It was the first privately built and operated spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-splashdown-20120601,0,4389865.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by W.J. Hennigan

Pollen fallout blankets area

It falls like a snow, persistent and unforgiving. From a distance, it can resemble a cloud of smoke.

It is pine pollen, seasonal scourge of the city and suburbs, covering hundreds of cars and driveways. And this year, it’s especially intense, a gunky byproduct of a warm winter and largely dry, windy spring that conspired to bring more pollen, earlier, to New England. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2012/05/31/pollen_plight_plagues_boston_and_suburbs_leaving_a_carpet_of_yellow_gunk/?p1=News_links

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Alejandra Matos and Colin A. Young

 

Study accuses corporations of hypocrisy on climate change

WASHINGTON -- Some major U.S. corporations that support climate science in their public relations materials actively work to derail regulations and laws addressing global warming through lobbying, campaign donations and support of various advocacy groups, according to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental and scientific integrity group. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-coproate-climate-control-20120530,0,2592843.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Politics Now by Neela Banergee

 

 

 

 

Planners want to make bases more 'walkable'

At military installations, suburban-style sprawl is out and walkable communities are in, under new Defense Department planning guidelines released Thursday.

The guidelines call for “compact development” that incorporates mass transit and a mix of residential housing close to shops and other businesses. Energy conservation is a key goal; trees and other greenery should be considered as well. http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/05/military-planners-make-bases-more-walkable-051912w/

Article courtesy of Federal Times by Sean Reilly