Senate Republicans Agree to End Big Oil Subsidies After Watching Polar Bear Film

ENN, April 02, 2012

In an stunning reversal, Senate Republicans have accepted President Obama's call to end tax breaks for the oil and gas industry, reversing a procedural vote on Thursday that had killed the Mendendez Bill (S. 2204 - Repeal Subsidies and Tax Breaks for the Big 5 Oil Companies), introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ). On Thursday, the bill was defeated by a vote of 51-47, nine votes short of the 60 required to pass.
But in a rare Saturday afternoon session called by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the measure was swiftly rejuvenated—and passed—after nine of the Republicans who voted against the bill on Thursday had a change of heart after watching a sneak preview on Friday of To the Arctic, a documentary that follows the life of a mother polar bear caring for her two seven-month-old cubs in the Arctic. Narrated by three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep, To the Arctic arrives in IMAX theaters on April 20. Read more...

James Bond a not-so-secret green agent

Grist, November 13, 2008

The new James Bond flick Quantum of Solace, which opens this weekend, has an eco-theme. Quantum of Solace continues the storyline that began with Casino Royale and finds Bond shaken (not stirred) by the death and betrayal of a loved one. He wants revenge, and he points a (Gold)finger at "eco-entrepreneur" Dominic Greene (the man with the green gun?). Played by Mathieu Amalric, Greene is the owner of an eco-hotel in the Chilean desert -- an oasis aimed at luring rich and powerful folk with fancy environmental technology. But could this Bond villain really be who he seems? (Dr.) No! In fact, the hotel and "Save the Earth" shtick is just a front for Greene's plan to seize part of South America's water supply.Aha! A brilliant plot twist: Mr. Greene is Greenewashing! I hope Bond can figure it out in time. After all, you only live twice.

Watch the movie trailer: