Clean, green killer on trial

Green MP Ian Ewen-Street is welcoming trials by several local councils of a new organic herbicide.

'Interceptor', the first herbicide in the world to be certified as organic, is being trialled by councils in Auckland, Dunedin and Nelson.

"It's putting nature's own system to work," said Mr Ewen-Street, the Green Party Spokesperson on Agriculture and Organics.

Interceptor's action as one of "relaxing the muscles" surrounding the pores in the leaves of plants, allowing the moisture to evaporate and causing the plant to wilt and die. The pine-extract-based herbicide was discovered by a researcher who noted that little or no grass grew under pine trees.

"It's not a systemic herbicide like conventional ones, but nonetheless seems to be very effective.

"The willingness of these councils to seek organic methods of weed control shows both initiative and environmental responsibility. Other local bodies with an environmental responsibility to their constituents should be trialling organic herbicides. "Assuming successful trials, adoption of this herbicide by local bodies would be a giant step to encouraging the public, from gardeners to farmers, to use such organic sprays," said Mr Ewen-Street.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>