Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
What in the world is going on with the speed of light?
23 September 2011 Last updated at 05:55 ET Help
Puzzling results from Cern, home of the Large Hadron Collider, have confounded physicists - because it seems subatomic particles have beaten the speed of light.
Neutrinos sent through the ground from Cern toward the Gran Sasso laboratory 732km (454 miles) away in Italy seemed to show up a tiny fraction of a second early.
Physicist Brian Cox talks to Shaun Keaveny on BBC 6 Music about this baffling find - he says that if it is right, it could require a complete rewriting of our understanding of the laws of the Universe.
Puzzling results from Cern, home of the Large Hadron Collider, have confounded physicists - because it seems subatomic particles have beaten the speed of light.
Neutrinos sent through the ground from Cern toward the Gran Sasso laboratory 732km (454 miles) away in Italy seemed to show up a tiny fraction of a second early.
Physicist Brian Cox talks to Shaun Keaveny on BBC 6 Music about this baffling find - he says that if it is right, it could require a complete rewriting of our understanding of the laws of the Universe.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
What in the World finds an interesting quote from the Matrix...
But, as you well know, appearances can be deceiving, which brings me back to the reason why we're here. We're not here because we're free. We're here because we're not free. There is no escaping reason; no denying purpose. Because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist.
It is purpose that created us.
Purpose that connects us.
Purpose that pulls us.
That guides us.
That drives us.
It is purpose that defines us.
Purpose that binds us.
It is purpose that created us.
Purpose that connects us.
Purpose that pulls us.
That guides us.
That drives us.
It is purpose that defines us.
Purpose that binds us.
What in the World finds an interesting quote.
“To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Lester Brown on how to prevent environmental and economic collapse!
http://www.earth-policy.org/images/uploads/book_files/wotebook.pdf
Monday, October 24, 2011
What in the World is looking at how our world is changing
In terms of evolution, the species Homo sapiens is extremely successful. The populations of other species that are positioned similar to us on the food chain tend to max out at about 20 million. We, by contrast, took just 120,000 years to achieve our first billion members, and then needed only another 206 years to add 6 billion more. According to the United Nations Population Division, our population will hit 7 billion on Oct. 31, and though fertility rates have begun to decline across much of the globe, we're still projected to reach 9 billion by mid-century and level off at around 10 billion by 2100.
A panel of academics met at Columbia University's Earth Institute on Monday (Oct. 17) to discuss the impacts of the human population explosion, including the ways in which it will change the face of the Earth this century. Here are five striking changes you — or your kids or grandkids — can expect to see.
Shifting people
Currently, it's a well-known fact that China is the most populous country in the world, and that Africa, though riddled with problems, is not necessarily overpopulated considering its size. These facts will drastically change. China's one-child policy has significantly curbed its growth, while in some African countries, the average woman gives birth to more than 7 children. [How Many People Can Earth Support?]
According to Joel Cohen, a population biologist at Columbia University and the keynote speaker at Monday's conference, India's population will overtake China's around 2020, and sub-Saharan Africa's will overtake India's by 2040. Furthermore, "In 1950, there were three times as many Europeans as sub-Saharan Africans. By 2100, there will be five sub-Saharan Africans for every European. That's a 15-fold change in the ratio," Cohen said. "Could you imagine that that might have an impact, geopolitically and on international migration?"
Jean-Marie Guehenno, former UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations and director of the Center for International Conflict Resolution at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, said the migration of people from Africa to Europe will present a major challenge in the near future. "You can look at it as an enormous potential from a European standpoint … or you can say, '[Africa] is a continent that still has 15 percent that are not going to school,' and that can be seen as a threat," Guehenno said. "How are you going to manage that immigration so that this aging continent of Europe benefits from it while managing it? That is going to be a huge question."
Urbanization
Globally, the number of people living in urban areas matched and then overtook the number of rural people sometime in the past two years. The trend will continue. According to Cohen, the number of people living in cities will climb from 3.5 billion today to 6.3 billion by 2050. This rate of urbanization is equivalent to "the construction of a city of a million people every five days from now for the next 40 years," he said.
Of course, new cities don't tend to get constructed; instead, cities that already exist tend to balloon. Guehenno argues that megacities become chaotic. "Urbanization is going to change the face of conflict in a big way. When you live in small towns and rural areas, there are all sorts of traditional conflict- resolution mechanisms. They are not all nice, but they create a sort of stable equilibrium," he said. "With the megacities that you see now in Africa, such as Monrovia (Liberia) and Kinshasa (Republic of Congo), we see cities where the dynamics are no more under control or have been lost. We are, I think, heading toward new types of conflicts — urban conflicts — and we haven't really thought through the implications of that."
Water wars
Not only has the human population exploded in the past two centuries, but the per-person consumption of resources — especially in industrialized nations — has grown exponentially. Scientists think that resource shortages will cause an escalation of conflicts during this century, and will widen the gulf between the rich and the poor — the haves and the have-nots.
No resource is more precious and vital than water, and, according to economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia, there are already parts of the world that, because of the rapidly changing climate, are at a severe crisis point. "Take the Horn of Africa for example: Somalia's population has risen roughly fivefold since the middle of the 20th century," Sachs said. "Precipitation is down roughly 25 percent over the last quarter century. There's a devastating famine under way right now after two years of complete failure of rains, and [there is] the potential that this is entering a period of long-term climate change."
Conflicts over water shortages will probably play out as class warfare, said Upmanu Lall, director of the Columbia Water Center. "Wealth inequality tends to grow as a country's population grows, and this is a very important point to note because per capita consumption of resources has been increasing dramatically. Couple that with inequity in income and couple that with [the issue of] the availability of water," Lall said. [How Much Water Is On Earth?]
When you add it all up, you get this dire picture: As the population grows, there is less water per person. Meanwhile, the gap between the rich and the poor widens, and the rich demand more resources to accommodate their lifestyles. Inevitably, they will commandeer the water and other resources of the poor. In all likelihood, Lall said, this will lead to challenges, and perhaps class conflict.
Future energy
Currently, there isn't enough energy being extracted from known sources of fossil fuels to sustain 10 billion people. This means that humans will be forced to turn to a new energy source before the end of the century. However, it's a mystery what that new source will be.
"Energy is the basic resource which underlies every other," said Klaus Lackner, director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy. "And actually, technology is not quite ready to solve the [energy] problem. We know there's plenty of energy in solar, in nuclear, in carbon itself — in fossil carbon — for probably 100 or 200 years (if we are willing to clean up after ourselves and pay the extra to make that happen). But none of these technologies are quite ready. Solar has its problems and is still too expensive."
Carbon storage — a technology that prevents carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from escaping into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned — is still on the drawing board, though it looks possible, he added. "And lastly, nuclear energy: if we were betting on that, we may have just lost that one," Lackner said, referring to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, earlier this year.
"Let me just give you a feeling how big today our energy consumption is: In New Jersey, the energy consumption exceeds the photosynthetic productivity of the same area if it were left pristine," Lackner said. "We have to have technology help us out. I am optimistic … that the technologies can be developed to solve these problems … but I am a pessimist because we lack the societal structures which would enable us to employ these technologies, and we could very well fall on our own faces."
In short, the future will match one of these two pictures: Either some new, superior form of energy extraction (such as highly efficient solar panels) will be widespread, or the technology, or its implementation, will fail, and humanity will face a major energy crisis.
Mass extinctions
As humans spread, we leave scant room or resources for other species. "There is good evidence that we are in the sixth massive species extinction of the history of the planet, because of the incredible amount of primary production that we take as a species to maintain 7 billion of us," Sachs said.
Aside from the lack of land and resources left for other species, we've also caused rapid changes to the global climate, with which many of them cannot cope. Some biologists believe that with the current rate of extinction, 75 percent of the planet's species will disappear within the next 300 to 2,000 years. These disappearances have already begun, and extinction events will become more and more common over the course of the century. [10 Species Our Population Explosion Will Likely Kill Off]
Saturday, October 22, 2011
What in the World is looking at body art in Libya
A message reading "Congratulations Libya! Yemen and Syria will be next" is seen painted on the back of a motorcyclist in Taghyeer Square, where protesters are camping to demand the ousting of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, October 22, 2011. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Friday, October 21, 2011
Our planet is an ever-changing sphere of wonder and mystery. By studying sediments, ice-core samples, trees, and fossils, scientists have been able to piece together some of its phenomenal history and evolution. Humans have been here for a relatively short time, our survival and prosperity made possible by the unique conditions that unfolded to create the current balance.
Throughout human history, we have been subject to forces of nature, but overall, the Earth has been in a period that has allowed us to flourish. We can't take that for granted. When we look through a scientific lens, we see amazing hydrologic and carbon cycles, processes such as photosynthesis that allow us to breathe and eat, and so much more. We also see droughts, floods, insect infestations, and mass extinctions that can radically alter the balance of life.
A massive release of carbon into the atmosphere can trigger cataclysmic events. It's something we're facing now, as we burn fossil fuels as fast as we can dig and suck them out of the ground to keep our homes and cities warm and lighted, and to propel ourselves in machines weighing more than 10 times as much as the often-solo person they are transporting.
This is not the first time the Earth has changed in response to carbon overload. Scientists have found that the planet experienced rapid warming about 56 million years ago, long before humans arrived. According to an article in the October issue of National Geographic, a "massive and geologically sudden release of carbon" during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, altered the planet's systems, making it possible for new life forms to appear and thrive, including, eventually, humans.
Evidence suggests that the carbon released then was equivalent to the amount that would enter the atmosphere if we burned all the Earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas. The warming effects are believed to have lasted 150,000 years until the carbon was reabsorbed.
The main difference between now and then is that we are fuelling the current change, whereas 56 million years ago, it was a natural phenomenon - although scientists are still not entirely sure what caused it. The Earth was experiencing massive tectonic upheavals at the time, which would have sparked volcanic activity, but that only accounts for a relatively minor release of carbon and subsequent small increase in global temperatures, even if a comet impact were added to the mix.
The most likely scenario is that the slight warming from those events, or from fluctuations in the Earth's orbit, caused methane hydrates to melt, releasing massive amounts of methane into the atmosphere. As the National Geographic article points out: "The hypothesis is alarming. Methane in the atmosphere warms the Earth over 20 times more per molecule than carbon dioxide does, then after a decade or two, it oxidizes to CO2 and keeps on warming for a long time."
Methane hydrates are ice-like water molecules that form around a molecule of methane. In cold temperatures and under high pressure, they remain stable. Large deposits lie under the Arctic and the seafloor. Scientists believe the current warming could be enough to release these extremely potent greenhouse gases.
Swedish geologist Birger Schmitz, who has studied the PETM science, told National Geographic that we can either wait to see what the result of such a large release will be, or we can look at what happened 56 million years ago. And what happened then "was a wholesale rearrangement of life."
Why would we undertake such a drastic experiment that threatens the survival of the human species when we have pretty good evidence of what the outcome will be? The main reason is that many of us are not willing to give up our newly acquired luxuries and economic systems regardless of the effects on ourselves, our children, our grandchildren, and all other life on the planet. We don't seem to be willing to slow down the pace of fossil fuel extraction and use while we shift to cleaner energy sources and more rational ways of living within this finite biosphere.
We have some tough choices to make. Science increasingly tells us that we must choose wisely and quickly.
Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation editorial and communications specialist Ian Hanington.
Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
What in the World is looking at October's winning photo!
Today's photo of the day comes from CBC Community member valleykat013. This stone arch is in the Limehouse Conservation Area, in Limehouse, Ont.
What in the World is in the news today
Gaddafi killed as Libya's revolt takes hometown
By Rania El Gamal and Tim Gaynor | Reuters – 33 minutes ago
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi speaks during a ceremony in Tripoli in this June 12, …
SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi is dead, Libya's new leaders said, killed by fighters who overran his hometown and final bastion on Thursday. His bloodied body was stripped and displayed around the world from cellphone video.
Senior officials in the interim government, which ended his 42-year rule two months ago but had labored to subdue thousands of diehard loyalists, said his death opened the way for a declaration of "liberation" after eight months of war.
His body was expected in the long-standing rebel stronghold of Misrata, officials said as their Western sponsors held off from confirming that Gaddafi, a self-styled king of kings whom they had lately courted after decades of enmity, was dead at 69.
After Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril confirmed his demise, the new national flag, resurrected by rebels who forced Gaddafi from his capital Tripoli in August, filled streets and squares as jubilant crowds whooped for joy and fired in the air.
In Sirte, a one-time fishing village and Gaddafi's hometown that grandiose schemes had styled a new "capital of Africa," fighters danced, brandishing a golden pistol they said they had taken from Gaddafi.
Accounts were hazy of his final hours, which also appeared to have cost the lives of senior aides. But top officials of the National Transitional Council, including Abdel Majid Mlegta, said he had died of wounds sustained in clashes.
FINAL HOURS
One possible description, pieced together from various sources, suggests that Gaddafi may have tried to break out of his final redoubt at dawn in a convoy of vehicles after weeks of dogged resistance. However, he was stopped by a NATO airstrike and captured, possibly three or four hours later, after gunbattles with NTC fighters who found him hiding in a drainage culvert.
NATO said its warplanes fired on a convoy near Sirte about 8:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. EDT), striking two military vehicles in the group, but could not confirm that Gaddafi had been a passenger.
Accounts from his enemies suggested his capture, and death soon after from wounds, may have taken place around noon.
One of Gaddafi's sons, heir-apparent Saif al-Islam, was at large, they believed.
NTC official Mlegta told Reuters that Gaddafi had been wounded in both legs early in the morning as he tried to flee in the convoy which NATO warplanes attacked
"He was also hit in his head," he said. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."
There was no shortage of NTC fighters in Sirte claiming to have seen him die, though many accounts were conflicting. Libyan television carried video of two drainage pipes, about a meter across, where it said fighters had cornered a man who long inspired both fear and admiration around the world.
After February's uprising in the long discontented east of the country around Benghazi -- inspired by the Arab Spring movements that overthrew the leaders of neighboring Tunisia and Egypt -- the revolt against Gaddafi ground slowly across the country before a dramatic turn saw Tripoli fall in August.
LIBERATION
An announcement of final liberation was expected as the chairman of the NTC prepared to address the nation of six million. They now face the challenge of turning oil wealth once monopolized by Gaddafi and his clan into a democracy that can heal an array of tribal, ethnic and regional divisions he exploited.
The two months since the fall of Tripoli have tested the nerves of the motley alliance of anti-Gaddafi forces and their Western and Arab backers, who had begun to question the ability of the NTC forces to root out diehard Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte and a couple of other towns.
Gaddafi, wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of ordering the killing of civilians, was toppled by rebel forces on August 23, a week short of the 42nd anniversary of the military coup which brought him to power in 1969.
NTC fighters hoisted the red, black and green national flag above a large utilities building in the center of a newly-captured Sirte neighborhood and celebratory gunfire broke out among their ecstatic and relieved comrades.
Hundreds of NTC troops had surrounded the Mediterranean coastal town for weeks in a chaotic struggle that killed and wounded scores of the besieging forces and an unknown number of defenders.
NTC fighters said there were a large number of corpses inside the last redoubts of the Gaddafi troops. It was not immediately possible to verify that information.
(Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by David Stamp)
By Rania El Gamal and Tim Gaynor | Reuters – 33 minutes ago
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi speaks during a ceremony in Tripoli in this June 12, …
SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi is dead, Libya's new leaders said, killed by fighters who overran his hometown and final bastion on Thursday. His bloodied body was stripped and displayed around the world from cellphone video.
Senior officials in the interim government, which ended his 42-year rule two months ago but had labored to subdue thousands of diehard loyalists, said his death opened the way for a declaration of "liberation" after eight months of war.
His body was expected in the long-standing rebel stronghold of Misrata, officials said as their Western sponsors held off from confirming that Gaddafi, a self-styled king of kings whom they had lately courted after decades of enmity, was dead at 69.
After Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril confirmed his demise, the new national flag, resurrected by rebels who forced Gaddafi from his capital Tripoli in August, filled streets and squares as jubilant crowds whooped for joy and fired in the air.
In Sirte, a one-time fishing village and Gaddafi's hometown that grandiose schemes had styled a new "capital of Africa," fighters danced, brandishing a golden pistol they said they had taken from Gaddafi.
Accounts were hazy of his final hours, which also appeared to have cost the lives of senior aides. But top officials of the National Transitional Council, including Abdel Majid Mlegta, said he had died of wounds sustained in clashes.
FINAL HOURS
One possible description, pieced together from various sources, suggests that Gaddafi may have tried to break out of his final redoubt at dawn in a convoy of vehicles after weeks of dogged resistance. However, he was stopped by a NATO airstrike and captured, possibly three or four hours later, after gunbattles with NTC fighters who found him hiding in a drainage culvert.
NATO said its warplanes fired on a convoy near Sirte about 8:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. EDT), striking two military vehicles in the group, but could not confirm that Gaddafi had been a passenger.
Accounts from his enemies suggested his capture, and death soon after from wounds, may have taken place around noon.
One of Gaddafi's sons, heir-apparent Saif al-Islam, was at large, they believed.
NTC official Mlegta told Reuters that Gaddafi had been wounded in both legs early in the morning as he tried to flee in the convoy which NATO warplanes attacked
"He was also hit in his head," he said. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."
There was no shortage of NTC fighters in Sirte claiming to have seen him die, though many accounts were conflicting. Libyan television carried video of two drainage pipes, about a meter across, where it said fighters had cornered a man who long inspired both fear and admiration around the world.
After February's uprising in the long discontented east of the country around Benghazi -- inspired by the Arab Spring movements that overthrew the leaders of neighboring Tunisia and Egypt -- the revolt against Gaddafi ground slowly across the country before a dramatic turn saw Tripoli fall in August.
LIBERATION
An announcement of final liberation was expected as the chairman of the NTC prepared to address the nation of six million. They now face the challenge of turning oil wealth once monopolized by Gaddafi and his clan into a democracy that can heal an array of tribal, ethnic and regional divisions he exploited.
The two months since the fall of Tripoli have tested the nerves of the motley alliance of anti-Gaddafi forces and their Western and Arab backers, who had begun to question the ability of the NTC forces to root out diehard Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte and a couple of other towns.
Gaddafi, wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of ordering the killing of civilians, was toppled by rebel forces on August 23, a week short of the 42nd anniversary of the military coup which brought him to power in 1969.
NTC fighters hoisted the red, black and green national flag above a large utilities building in the center of a newly-captured Sirte neighborhood and celebratory gunfire broke out among their ecstatic and relieved comrades.
Hundreds of NTC troops had surrounded the Mediterranean coastal town for weeks in a chaotic struggle that killed and wounded scores of the besieging forces and an unknown number of defenders.
NTC fighters said there were a large number of corpses inside the last redoubts of the Gaddafi troops. It was not immediately possible to verify that information.
(Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by David Stamp)
What in the World looks at Earths population explosion
World population to hit 7 billion this year, 10 billion by 2100
By Rick Marshall | Digital Trends – Mon, 1 Aug, 2011
In the 1960s, the world was populated by around 3.5 billion people. This year, the population is expected to double that mark.
According to a new report by the United Nations, the population of Earth is expected to hit seven billion by the end of 2011, with the tally expected to hit 10 billion by the year 2100. And while these numbers have caused no small amount of concern regarding the planet’s ability to sustain such a massive population, scientists are also expecting the population to level off near the end of the century.
The world’s population has increased dramatically since the industrial periods of the mid-18th century, with the planet hitting the one-billion mark around 1800, then doubling that number in the early 1900s. The growth from that number to seven billion took only 50 years.
However, the growth rate is expected to slow by the year 2100 as the countries with the highest birth rates develop better female education and family-planning systems. Currently, much of the population growth is occurring in developing nations like Africa, where a high birth rate has the population doubling every 20 years or so.
Discovery News notes that if every woman had two babies, the world’s population would remain stable. However, the global average currently sits at around 2.5 births per woman, which is down from five births per woman in 1950.
“Every billion people we add to the planet makes life more difficult for everyone and will do more damage to the environment,” John Bongaarts, a demographer at New York’s Population Council, told Discovery. “Can we support 10 billion people? Probably. But we would all be better off with a smaller population.”
By Rick Marshall | Digital Trends – Mon, 1 Aug, 2011
In the 1960s, the world was populated by around 3.5 billion people. This year, the population is expected to double that mark.
According to a new report by the United Nations, the population of Earth is expected to hit seven billion by the end of 2011, with the tally expected to hit 10 billion by the year 2100. And while these numbers have caused no small amount of concern regarding the planet’s ability to sustain such a massive population, scientists are also expecting the population to level off near the end of the century.
The world’s population has increased dramatically since the industrial periods of the mid-18th century, with the planet hitting the one-billion mark around 1800, then doubling that number in the early 1900s. The growth from that number to seven billion took only 50 years.
However, the growth rate is expected to slow by the year 2100 as the countries with the highest birth rates develop better female education and family-planning systems. Currently, much of the population growth is occurring in developing nations like Africa, where a high birth rate has the population doubling every 20 years or so.
Discovery News notes that if every woman had two babies, the world’s population would remain stable. However, the global average currently sits at around 2.5 births per woman, which is down from five births per woman in 1950.
“Every billion people we add to the planet makes life more difficult for everyone and will do more damage to the environment,” John Bongaarts, a demographer at New York’s Population Council, told Discovery. “Can we support 10 billion people? Probably. But we would all be better off with a smaller population.”
Space junk keeps fallin' on my head...
German satellite to crash to Earth 'at the weekend'
AFP – 22 hours ago
A German satellite the size of a car is expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere over the weekend, officials said on Wednesday, adding they had little idea where the fragments were likely to land.
The x-ray observatory, named ROSAT, is expected to return to Earth between October 22 and 23, travelling at a speed of around 28,000 kilometres (17,000 miles) per hour, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) said in a statement.
The DLR had previously been banking on re-entry between October 20 and 25 but said they could be slightly more accurate as the satellite nears.
Nevertheless, the space debris could arrive two days before or after the currently expected time, the DLR said.
"This time slot of uncertainty will be reduced as the date of re-entry approaches," it said.
According to the latest estimates, as many as 30 individual pieces weighing a total of 1.7 tonnes could reach the surface of the Earth.
"The largest single fragment will probably be the telescope's mirror, which is very heat resistant," the centre said.
However, statistically speaking, there is very little danger to humans from space junk, the experts said. The debris will almost certainly fall in the sea or on an uninhabited piece of land.
Last month, a bus-sized US satellite that hurtled unpredictably toward Earth crossed over Africa and the northern Atlantic before plunging into the Pacific Ocean off California, NASA said.
There were no sightings or reliable accounts of damage as the six-tonne Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell from the sky.
AFP – 22 hours ago
A German satellite the size of a car is expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere over the weekend, officials said on Wednesday, adding they had little idea where the fragments were likely to land.
The x-ray observatory, named ROSAT, is expected to return to Earth between October 22 and 23, travelling at a speed of around 28,000 kilometres (17,000 miles) per hour, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) said in a statement.
The DLR had previously been banking on re-entry between October 20 and 25 but said they could be slightly more accurate as the satellite nears.
Nevertheless, the space debris could arrive two days before or after the currently expected time, the DLR said.
"This time slot of uncertainty will be reduced as the date of re-entry approaches," it said.
According to the latest estimates, as many as 30 individual pieces weighing a total of 1.7 tonnes could reach the surface of the Earth.
"The largest single fragment will probably be the telescope's mirror, which is very heat resistant," the centre said.
However, statistically speaking, there is very little danger to humans from space junk, the experts said. The debris will almost certainly fall in the sea or on an uninhabited piece of land.
Last month, a bus-sized US satellite that hurtled unpredictably toward Earth crossed over Africa and the northern Atlantic before plunging into the Pacific Ocean off California, NASA said.
There were no sightings or reliable accounts of damage as the six-tonne Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell from the sky.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
What in the World looks at the End of Resistance
Posted on October 18th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
We are individualists, egoists by nature. We can unite in cities, nations, and countries, but uniting as a country is an unnatural process. Russia is one example; there are other nations that eventually fell apart.
There needs to be a connection between people like in a family, where mutual love, children, and property unites and preserves it. This is an instinctive connection based on the fear that I may become ill and will need help and support. My children demand something from me, taking advantage of my natural love for them, and I must take care of them.
The same instinctive connection exists in a nation. Of course it’s much weaker than in a family unit, but it still exists and is also maintained by a mutual dependence, fear, the need for support, a feeling of security, safety, and so on because we all live in an egoistic world.
We are still able to coexist and somehow agree on our mutual problems, desires, and goals within the boundaries of a nation. We understand that we must be connected because we somehow agree inside our country, but there are many enemies on the outside.
But it is much harder for different nations and countries to come to an agreement. This is usually referred to as a temporary union where each side finds something for its own benefit, and once it succeeds in getting what it wants, it drops the rest. And this is considered to be normal in international politics.
Interestingly, a special new condition is unfolding today: Families brake, and a multitude of political parties, movements appear in a nation. They contradict each other, are ready to destroy each other, and have more problems with each other than with people from other nations. We find ourselves so connected with people who are outside of us: other countries, nations, continents, and civilizations that we simply must find a way to mutual cooperation.
We are individualists, egoists by nature. We can unite in cities, nations, and countries, but uniting as a country is an unnatural process. Russia is one example; there are other nations that eventually fell apart.
There needs to be a connection between people like in a family, where mutual love, children, and property unites and preserves it. This is an instinctive connection based on the fear that I may become ill and will need help and support. My children demand something from me, taking advantage of my natural love for them, and I must take care of them.
The same instinctive connection exists in a nation. Of course it’s much weaker than in a family unit, but it still exists and is also maintained by a mutual dependence, fear, the need for support, a feeling of security, safety, and so on because we all live in an egoistic world.
We are still able to coexist and somehow agree on our mutual problems, desires, and goals within the boundaries of a nation. We understand that we must be connected because we somehow agree inside our country, but there are many enemies on the outside.
But it is much harder for different nations and countries to come to an agreement. This is usually referred to as a temporary union where each side finds something for its own benefit, and once it succeeds in getting what it wants, it drops the rest. And this is considered to be normal in international politics.
Interestingly, a special new condition is unfolding today: Families brake, and a multitude of political parties, movements appear in a nation. They contradict each other, are ready to destroy each other, and have more problems with each other than with people from other nations. We find ourselves so connected with people who are outside of us: other countries, nations, continents, and civilizations that we simply must find a way to mutual cooperation.
What in the World is listening to Vladimir Yakunin
The Crisis Sums Up The Results Of Globalization
Posted on October 18th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Opinion: (Vladimir Yakunin, Founding President of the World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilizations, Ninth Annual Session):
“Globalization has turned out to be the next stage of colonization policies of the major world powers, with the civilizational crisis, the exit of which is in an open dialogue, based on the desire of all the nations for justice, not manipulation.
Globalization: a new phase of colonialism
“The ‘mondialism’ of the European version as a global project of creating a commonwealth of nations, collapsed after the World War II alongside with the disintegration of the colonial system. This project was replaced by ‘Globalization,’ which brought about such instruments as ‘democracy,’ ‘human rights,’ and ‘finance and market economy.’ Meanwhile, the globalization project, that advanced on the basis of the Euro-Atlantic consensus, creation of transnational finance and market institutions and the ‘efficient’ consumerist economy, constituted the third stage of colonization. It was preceded by the second stage, marked by the transfer of a substantial share of industry to the third countries in pursuit of cheap labour and access to natural resources.
The threats of unipolarity
“Political elites of many countries have long since put up with the fact that international politics has de facto become some internal affair, or even a private matter, for the USA. The States, now as before, are trying to adjust the regional structure of the world to their benchmark.
“The ideology of the European identity domination and the western worldview is backed by the system of human rights supported by legal procedures. But such a system of human rights cannot be considered universal and is incompatible with concepts of human rights in other civilizations.
“Globalization in this form leads to the creation of differences within the world system. We approach complete indifference to anything in the world with the exception of bank notes.
Dialogue instead of manipulation in the network
“The contemporary world is witnessing the emergence of a broad social environment, primarily due to the spread of Internet and social networks, international communications and contacts. Meanwhile, we are witnessing rather a strange phenomenon: the very fact of communication is here, but such contacts do not carry any social content, that is, they lack a well-defined social responsibility and allow for any form of abnormal behavior, the attempts to delegitimize authority, cultural values and traditions.
“The universal urge to have the “freedom” to say “anything and in any form” has a temporary character and is beginning to fade away.
“Such technologies as the so-called “twitter revolutions” are applied to achieve definite political and economic goals. This virtual tool is all the more dangerous, because it is not only capable of producing a selective and arbitrary impact on human behavior and cause large-scale conflicts in society, but, as we can see, can cause casualties in real life.
“You are aware of our point of view: it is real participation in the affairs of the world community, which is only possible in the framework of a direct dialogue and does not depend on any trigger signals.”
Posted on October 18th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Opinion: (Vladimir Yakunin, Founding President of the World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilizations, Ninth Annual Session):
“Globalization has turned out to be the next stage of colonization policies of the major world powers, with the civilizational crisis, the exit of which is in an open dialogue, based on the desire of all the nations for justice, not manipulation.
Globalization: a new phase of colonialism
“The ‘mondialism’ of the European version as a global project of creating a commonwealth of nations, collapsed after the World War II alongside with the disintegration of the colonial system. This project was replaced by ‘Globalization,’ which brought about such instruments as ‘democracy,’ ‘human rights,’ and ‘finance and market economy.’ Meanwhile, the globalization project, that advanced on the basis of the Euro-Atlantic consensus, creation of transnational finance and market institutions and the ‘efficient’ consumerist economy, constituted the third stage of colonization. It was preceded by the second stage, marked by the transfer of a substantial share of industry to the third countries in pursuit of cheap labour and access to natural resources.
The threats of unipolarity
“Political elites of many countries have long since put up with the fact that international politics has de facto become some internal affair, or even a private matter, for the USA. The States, now as before, are trying to adjust the regional structure of the world to their benchmark.
“The ideology of the European identity domination and the western worldview is backed by the system of human rights supported by legal procedures. But such a system of human rights cannot be considered universal and is incompatible with concepts of human rights in other civilizations.
“Globalization in this form leads to the creation of differences within the world system. We approach complete indifference to anything in the world with the exception of bank notes.
Dialogue instead of manipulation in the network
“The contemporary world is witnessing the emergence of a broad social environment, primarily due to the spread of Internet and social networks, international communications and contacts. Meanwhile, we are witnessing rather a strange phenomenon: the very fact of communication is here, but such contacts do not carry any social content, that is, they lack a well-defined social responsibility and allow for any form of abnormal behavior, the attempts to delegitimize authority, cultural values and traditions.
“The universal urge to have the “freedom” to say “anything and in any form” has a temporary character and is beginning to fade away.
“Such technologies as the so-called “twitter revolutions” are applied to achieve definite political and economic goals. This virtual tool is all the more dangerous, because it is not only capable of producing a selective and arbitrary impact on human behavior and cause large-scale conflicts in society, but, as we can see, can cause casualties in real life.
“You are aware of our point of view: it is real participation in the affairs of the world community, which is only possible in the framework of a direct dialogue and does not depend on any trigger signals.”
What in the World is watching the Wall Street protests
Protesters Against The Wall Street Accused Of Anti-Americanism
Posted on October 18th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
In the News (from CBS News):
“Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain accused anti-Wall Street protesters of playing the ‘victim card’ – and suggested that those participating in protests nationwide against corporate greed and a lack of jobs are merely doing so out of ‘jealousy.’
“Cain argued that the recent protests against the financial sector were ‘anti-American,’ and that they were meant to be ‘a distraction’ from the Obama administration’s ‘failed policies.’
“‘The free market system and capitalism are two of the things that have allowed this nation and this economy to become the biggest in the world,’ he added. ‘Even though we have our challenges, I believe that the protests are more anti-capitalism and anti-free market than anything else.’
“Fellow GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich… pointed to the protests as an example of ‘class warfare’ waged by the president against the wealthy.
“The former House Speaker blamed a recent ‘hostility to free enterprise’ on America’s educational system. … ‘And I regard the Wall Street protesters as a natural outcome of a bad education system teaching them really dumb ideas.’”
Posted on October 18th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
In the News (from CBS News):
“Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain accused anti-Wall Street protesters of playing the ‘victim card’ – and suggested that those participating in protests nationwide against corporate greed and a lack of jobs are merely doing so out of ‘jealousy.’
“Cain argued that the recent protests against the financial sector were ‘anti-American,’ and that they were meant to be ‘a distraction’ from the Obama administration’s ‘failed policies.’
“‘The free market system and capitalism are two of the things that have allowed this nation and this economy to become the biggest in the world,’ he added. ‘Even though we have our challenges, I believe that the protests are more anti-capitalism and anti-free market than anything else.’
“Fellow GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich… pointed to the protests as an example of ‘class warfare’ waged by the president against the wealthy.
“The former House Speaker blamed a recent ‘hostility to free enterprise’ on America’s educational system. … ‘And I regard the Wall Street protesters as a natural outcome of a bad education system teaching them really dumb ideas.’”
What in the World is "The Orgy of Consumption"?
The Orgy Of Consumption Is To Blame For Everything
Posted on October 18th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Opinion: (Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission President):
“A Greek default would have unforeseeable consequences and cause the euro zone crisis to spread, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was quoted as saying in mass-selling Bild daily.
“‘If we give up on Greece, there is a big danger that the crisis will spread to other countries,’ Barroso told Bild in an interview to be published on Monday, echoing comments of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“Barroso noted the euro zone had no experience with the possible bankruptcy of a member state.
“Barroso added that Europe needed to correct the ‘orgy of consumption’ that had taken place in some countries due to the introduction of a strong common currency with low interest rates.”
Posted on October 18th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Opinion: (Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission President):
“A Greek default would have unforeseeable consequences and cause the euro zone crisis to spread, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was quoted as saying in mass-selling Bild daily.
“‘If we give up on Greece, there is a big danger that the crisis will spread to other countries,’ Barroso told Bild in an interview to be published on Monday, echoing comments of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“Barroso noted the euro zone had no experience with the possible bankruptcy of a member state.
“Barroso added that Europe needed to correct the ‘orgy of consumption’ that had taken place in some countries due to the introduction of a strong common currency with low interest rates.”
What in the World says to Take Action!
http://action.sierraclub.bc.ca/actions/protect-bridge-lake/view
Monday, October 17, 2011
What in the World thinks these games sound like fun!
Name Games
& Get to Know Each Other Activities
Wilderdom Store
gear, books, kits
Name Games and Get to Know Each Other Activities can:
provide a fun beginning
relax initial social anxieties
help create mutual respect and understanding
Descriptions of Name Games & Get to Know Each Other Activities (on this website)
Cocktail Party
Group members pretend to meet in different scenarios, e.g., at the beach, a cocktail party, etc. A fun way to mill around and people meet new people.
People Map
Create a human map to show where people consider their home. Indicate North, East, South & West, then allow participants to position themselves to create a map.
Get To Know You Sociometric Questions
A sequence of questions which help students to find out about one another, move around, and have fun.
Group Juggle
Throwing balls to others in a circle and learning names. Works every time. Can be extended to "Warp Speed" by seeing how fast the group can throw balls through a set order to each group member.
Name Pantomime
Each person chooses an action-word to go with their name (e.g., "Swimming Sam"), then show the action to the group who repeat it. Stimulating way to introduce oneself & learn people's names.
The Story of My Name
Where does your name come from? Share the story of where your name comes from and what it means. Everyone's name has a surprisingly interesting origin.
2 Truths & a Lie People write down two truths about themselves and a lie. Then introduce the three "facts" to the rest of the group who tries to guess which one is a lie.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about One Another
Involves small groups sharing answers to 10 revealing questions, including "What would you do if you had $1 million to spend in 24 hours?".
Point & Shoot
Puts people on the spot for learning names. Ideal name game finale. Split the group in half. Have two volunteers hold a blanket or groundsheet between the two groups. Group members gather together, to plan and avoid being seen by the other group. The group sends one member to crouch close to the blanket and be involved in the shoot-out. The holders count "1, 2, 3" aloud then drop the blanket. Each contestant tries to say the other person's name first. Whoever is the winner "captures" his/her combatant for the winner's team. The blanket goes up again -- continue until one team captures all of the other team. Hilarious.
Nicknames
Try any of the above with nicknames! Nicknames from the past can be used, but it can be more fun to create new ones. e.g., Give take the name of the first pet you ever owned and add it to your mother's maiden name (last). e.g., Fluffy Houseman, Rip Tip Bacon, Tailsy Wagner, Spot Light, Tiny Walls Rose Killer, etc.
Descriptions of Name Games & Get to Know Each Other Activities (on other websites)
Hammer or a Nail?
Asks people a series of wacky "Are you X or Y?" questions, e.g., hammer or nail, sun or moon, present or future, etc.
The Signature Game
(or People Bingo)
Gets strangers talking to one another and asking odd, fun questions. Helps to loosen people up, moving around, and getting to know one another.
Wam-pum
In a circle, 1 person in the middle says someone's name. The named person has to say another person's name before getting tagged by person in middle. Fun way to put people on the spot with learning names. [www.firststepstraining.com]
Hamburger Press
A get to know you activity by Sam Sikes, using mini-ronies (slices of colored plastic noodles) to signify each question asked of another person [www.firststepstraining.com]
Get acquainted & name games
7 basic introductory name game activities. [www.svlink.com]
Basic name games
8 basic name games including Adjective Name Games, Blanket Name Game, etc. [www.ResidentAssistant.com]
& Get to Know Each Other Activities
Wilderdom Store
gear, books, kits
Name Games and Get to Know Each Other Activities can:
provide a fun beginning
relax initial social anxieties
help create mutual respect and understanding
Descriptions of Name Games & Get to Know Each Other Activities (on this website)
Cocktail Party
Group members pretend to meet in different scenarios, e.g., at the beach, a cocktail party, etc. A fun way to mill around and people meet new people.
People Map
Create a human map to show where people consider their home. Indicate North, East, South & West, then allow participants to position themselves to create a map.
Get To Know You Sociometric Questions
A sequence of questions which help students to find out about one another, move around, and have fun.
Group Juggle
Throwing balls to others in a circle and learning names. Works every time. Can be extended to "Warp Speed" by seeing how fast the group can throw balls through a set order to each group member.
Name Pantomime
Each person chooses an action-word to go with their name (e.g., "Swimming Sam"), then show the action to the group who repeat it. Stimulating way to introduce oneself & learn people's names.
The Story of My Name
Where does your name come from? Share the story of where your name comes from and what it means. Everyone's name has a surprisingly interesting origin.
2 Truths & a Lie People write down two truths about themselves and a lie. Then introduce the three "facts" to the rest of the group who tries to guess which one is a lie.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about One Another
Involves small groups sharing answers to 10 revealing questions, including "What would you do if you had $1 million to spend in 24 hours?".
Point & Shoot
Puts people on the spot for learning names. Ideal name game finale. Split the group in half. Have two volunteers hold a blanket or groundsheet between the two groups. Group members gather together, to plan and avoid being seen by the other group. The group sends one member to crouch close to the blanket and be involved in the shoot-out. The holders count "1, 2, 3" aloud then drop the blanket. Each contestant tries to say the other person's name first. Whoever is the winner "captures" his/her combatant for the winner's team. The blanket goes up again -- continue until one team captures all of the other team. Hilarious.
Nicknames
Try any of the above with nicknames! Nicknames from the past can be used, but it can be more fun to create new ones. e.g., Give take the name of the first pet you ever owned and add it to your mother's maiden name (last). e.g., Fluffy Houseman, Rip Tip Bacon, Tailsy Wagner, Spot Light, Tiny Walls Rose Killer, etc.
Descriptions of Name Games & Get to Know Each Other Activities (on other websites)
Hammer or a Nail?
Asks people a series of wacky "Are you X or Y?" questions, e.g., hammer or nail, sun or moon, present or future, etc.
The Signature Game
(or People Bingo)
Gets strangers talking to one another and asking odd, fun questions. Helps to loosen people up, moving around, and getting to know one another.
Wam-pum
In a circle, 1 person in the middle says someone's name. The named person has to say another person's name before getting tagged by person in middle. Fun way to put people on the spot with learning names. [www.firststepstraining.com]
Hamburger Press
A get to know you activity by Sam Sikes, using mini-ronies (slices of colored plastic noodles) to signify each question asked of another person [www.firststepstraining.com]
Get acquainted & name games
7 basic introductory name game activities. [www.svlink.com]
Basic name games
8 basic name games including Adjective Name Games, Blanket Name Game, etc. [www.ResidentAssistant.com]
What in the World is looking at Recycling in Manitoba!
PRESS RELEASE
Oct. 17, 2011, 7:11 a.m. EDT
Call2Recycle Scores One for the Environment With Bobby Hull and Dale Hawerchuk
Launching an All Household Battery Collection and Recycling Program in Manitoba
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct 17, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Join Call2Recycle(R) today to celebrate Waste Reduction Week by kicking-off an all-household battery collection program. Manitobans may now recycle any household battery at more than 300 collection locations across the province. Call2Recycle has collected more than 72,000 kilograms of rechargeable batteries in Manitoba since 1997. The program was recently chosen by Manitoba Conservation and Green Manitoba as the Manitoba collection program for household batteries -- including alkaline.
"We are pleased to expand our collection and recycling program in Manitoba to include all household batteries. The broadening of the program will allow us to grow our efforts in diverting batteries and cell phones from landfills," said Joe Zenobio, Executive Director of Call2Recycle Canada. "Call2Recycle is leveraging its relationships with retailers, municipalities, businesses and public agencies to swiftly and efficiently collect batteries in the places that Manitobans live, work and shop. Consumers may visit call2recycle.ca to learn the nearest drop-off location in their own communities."
"We're excited that Call2Recycle Canada is expanding the services they offer to include recycling all household batteries," said Greg Selinger, Premier of Manitoba. "I want to encourage Manitobans to recycle their batteries and cell phones and keep this kind of waste out of our landfills."
Oct. 17, 2011, 7:11 a.m. EDT
Call2Recycle Scores One for the Environment With Bobby Hull and Dale Hawerchuk
Launching an All Household Battery Collection and Recycling Program in Manitoba
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct 17, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Join Call2Recycle(R) today to celebrate Waste Reduction Week by kicking-off an all-household battery collection program. Manitobans may now recycle any household battery at more than 300 collection locations across the province. Call2Recycle has collected more than 72,000 kilograms of rechargeable batteries in Manitoba since 1997. The program was recently chosen by Manitoba Conservation and Green Manitoba as the Manitoba collection program for household batteries -- including alkaline.
"We are pleased to expand our collection and recycling program in Manitoba to include all household batteries. The broadening of the program will allow us to grow our efforts in diverting batteries and cell phones from landfills," said Joe Zenobio, Executive Director of Call2Recycle Canada. "Call2Recycle is leveraging its relationships with retailers, municipalities, businesses and public agencies to swiftly and efficiently collect batteries in the places that Manitobans live, work and shop. Consumers may visit call2recycle.ca to learn the nearest drop-off location in their own communities."
"We're excited that Call2Recycle Canada is expanding the services they offer to include recycling all household batteries," said Greg Selinger, Premier of Manitoba. "I want to encourage Manitobans to recycle their batteries and cell phones and keep this kind of waste out of our landfills."
What in the World recognizes this years Nobel Peace Prize to three women protecting the environment.
Women's role key to saving environment
This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to three women, which attracted global media's attention to the cause of women's rights. Besides promoting peace, women are playing a more important role in protecting the environment.
The growing worldwide demand for resources is threatening the world's environmental health to an unprecedented extent. Unless new policies are set in place, this situation could have devastating implications for human development. In this context, women and children can be very active participants in the defense of the environment and stop, or even reverse, the degradation of our natural resources.
At a worldwide level, there is a growing awareness of the need and importance of making women contribute to the identification of environmental problems, as well as in the planning of activities geared at the sustainable development of their communities.
Over the past 200 years, industrial processes have been responsible for increasing levels of pollution and for the degradation of air, water and land. In addition to unrestricted exploitation of natural resources, unsound agricultural practices have had devastating effects on the environment and on people's health and quality of life. Women and children have been particularly affected.
Women, especially those pregnant, are particularly susceptible to several environmental threats, particularly women living in rural or marginal suburban areas in developing countries. Until recently, women had few choices about the kind of lifestyle they wanted to lead and fewer opportunities to change unsatisfactory conditions and improve their families and their own health.
Because of their roles as home-managers, economic providers and their role in reproduction, women are susceptible to health problems and hazards in several situations. The reproductive system of pregnant women is especially vulnerable to environmental contaminants. Toxic substances in the environment can alter every step in the reproductive process. These toxic substances may increase the risk of abortion, birth defects, fetal growth retardation and perinatal death.
Although for a long time women have been considered passive recipients of aid rather than active participants in development, their role is crucial both to the economies of developing countries and to the future of the environment. In that regard, as environmental educators and motivators for change, women are key agents in the processes leading to a more sustainable and healthy development of the planet.
Women are traditional protectors of the environment. A world survey on public attitudes on the environment sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program showed that women are more likely than men to choose a lower standard of living with fewer health risks rather than a higher standard of living with more health risks.
Perhaps the best example of women's participation in environmental activities is represented by the work of Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Green Belt movement. With her efforts, participants in this movement in public and private lands have planted more than 30 million trees. Her work has led to the restoration of Kenya's rapidly diminishing forests and has empowered rural women in environmental preservation techniques.
In Nepal, Saraswoti Bhetwal has survived as a farmer thanks to techniques learned at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, such as roof water gathering, drip irrigation, composting and leveling terraces. In Latin America, indigenous women have become more active in the use of poverty reduction and sustainable development strategies.
In Russia, scientist Olga Speranskaya successfully worked with the NGO community in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and transformed them into a potent, participatory force working to identify and eliminate the Soviet legacy of toxic chemicals in the environment.
Throughout Latin America, women of all social classes are participating in environmental protection projects. After Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras in 1998, women from the Afro-indigenous Garifuna community along the Caribbean coast of Honduras created the Emergency Committee Garifuna. It organized seed banks for food security, planted fruit trees to limit erosion of coastal areas and helped relocate communities from high-risk areas. The organization also incorporated reforestation and the cultivation of medicinal plants among its activities.
In Bolivia, the Centro de Mujeres Candelaria and its political platform, the Permanent Forum of Aymara Women, organized women into grassroots groups that drew on ancestral knowledge and practices to predict hazardous events and teach how to protect their farms and food. They also organized community banks, craft centers and women's education centers.
In addition, the increasing participation of women in think tanks and in environmental training activities is allowing them to educate both the public and policy makers about the critical link between women, the use of natural resources and sustainable development.
In that regard, women have better access to local environmental issues and how to approach them than men. Women have often had a leadership role in reducing unnecessary use of resources, promoting an environmental ethic and recycling resources to minimize waste.
There is growing evidence that women in several countries around the world are taking central roles in the grass-roots environmental movement. And there is increasing belief that development policies that do not involve women and men alike will not, in the long run, be successful.
As stated by Diane Reed, president of the Cree Society for Communications: "Now the women are rising up. And when the women rise up from a nation, they are the strongest voice that can be heard and it's a voice that cannot be silenced."
The author is an international medical consultant and the author of the Pan American Health Organization publications "The Impact of the Environment on Children's Health" and "Maternal Health".
(China Daily 10/18/2011 page9)
This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to three women, which attracted global media's attention to the cause of women's rights. Besides promoting peace, women are playing a more important role in protecting the environment.
The growing worldwide demand for resources is threatening the world's environmental health to an unprecedented extent. Unless new policies are set in place, this situation could have devastating implications for human development. In this context, women and children can be very active participants in the defense of the environment and stop, or even reverse, the degradation of our natural resources.
At a worldwide level, there is a growing awareness of the need and importance of making women contribute to the identification of environmental problems, as well as in the planning of activities geared at the sustainable development of their communities.
Over the past 200 years, industrial processes have been responsible for increasing levels of pollution and for the degradation of air, water and land. In addition to unrestricted exploitation of natural resources, unsound agricultural practices have had devastating effects on the environment and on people's health and quality of life. Women and children have been particularly affected.
Women, especially those pregnant, are particularly susceptible to several environmental threats, particularly women living in rural or marginal suburban areas in developing countries. Until recently, women had few choices about the kind of lifestyle they wanted to lead and fewer opportunities to change unsatisfactory conditions and improve their families and their own health.
Because of their roles as home-managers, economic providers and their role in reproduction, women are susceptible to health problems and hazards in several situations. The reproductive system of pregnant women is especially vulnerable to environmental contaminants. Toxic substances in the environment can alter every step in the reproductive process. These toxic substances may increase the risk of abortion, birth defects, fetal growth retardation and perinatal death.
Although for a long time women have been considered passive recipients of aid rather than active participants in development, their role is crucial both to the economies of developing countries and to the future of the environment. In that regard, as environmental educators and motivators for change, women are key agents in the processes leading to a more sustainable and healthy development of the planet.
Women are traditional protectors of the environment. A world survey on public attitudes on the environment sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program showed that women are more likely than men to choose a lower standard of living with fewer health risks rather than a higher standard of living with more health risks.
Perhaps the best example of women's participation in environmental activities is represented by the work of Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Green Belt movement. With her efforts, participants in this movement in public and private lands have planted more than 30 million trees. Her work has led to the restoration of Kenya's rapidly diminishing forests and has empowered rural women in environmental preservation techniques.
In Nepal, Saraswoti Bhetwal has survived as a farmer thanks to techniques learned at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, such as roof water gathering, drip irrigation, composting and leveling terraces. In Latin America, indigenous women have become more active in the use of poverty reduction and sustainable development strategies.
In Russia, scientist Olga Speranskaya successfully worked with the NGO community in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and transformed them into a potent, participatory force working to identify and eliminate the Soviet legacy of toxic chemicals in the environment.
Throughout Latin America, women of all social classes are participating in environmental protection projects. After Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras in 1998, women from the Afro-indigenous Garifuna community along the Caribbean coast of Honduras created the Emergency Committee Garifuna. It organized seed banks for food security, planted fruit trees to limit erosion of coastal areas and helped relocate communities from high-risk areas. The organization also incorporated reforestation and the cultivation of medicinal plants among its activities.
In Bolivia, the Centro de Mujeres Candelaria and its political platform, the Permanent Forum of Aymara Women, organized women into grassroots groups that drew on ancestral knowledge and practices to predict hazardous events and teach how to protect their farms and food. They also organized community banks, craft centers and women's education centers.
In addition, the increasing participation of women in think tanks and in environmental training activities is allowing them to educate both the public and policy makers about the critical link between women, the use of natural resources and sustainable development.
In that regard, women have better access to local environmental issues and how to approach them than men. Women have often had a leadership role in reducing unnecessary use of resources, promoting an environmental ethic and recycling resources to minimize waste.
There is growing evidence that women in several countries around the world are taking central roles in the grass-roots environmental movement. And there is increasing belief that development policies that do not involve women and men alike will not, in the long run, be successful.
As stated by Diane Reed, president of the Cree Society for Communications: "Now the women are rising up. And when the women rise up from a nation, they are the strongest voice that can be heard and it's a voice that cannot be silenced."
The author is an international medical consultant and the author of the Pan American Health Organization publications "The Impact of the Environment on Children's Health" and "Maternal Health".
(China Daily 10/18/2011 page9)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
What in the World see's the animal kingdom as a teaching tool.
9 great lessons that nature can teach us about living
ByWe can learn so much from nature that we can apply to how we live our own lives. Here are my top 9 great lessons from nature.
1. Love unconditionally – Dogs are commonly known as man’s best friend because of their loyalty and ability to love unconditionally. My dog is always at the door to great me with a smile and a wag of the tail. If I tell her off today, she will not hold a grudge tomorrow or even 5 minutes later. We can learn so much from them by applying this more to our own lives and loving everyone unconditionally. I explore love in more detail in my posts on Putting love back into business andLove and only loveWhat happens when you respond to the present and love unconditionally?
2. Nurture yourself – Animals are great at looking after themselves. They don’t fight the laws of nature. My cat is an outdoor cat and spends the day hunting, only coming home with his prey 3-4 times a day. When he is tired or not well, he sleeps. Simple. With our busy lifestyles, many of us push ourselves to the limit. We work through pain in the gym for the sake of having a fit body, we work long hours even when we are tired and few of us find the time or even know how to rest and recharge. We’re fighing against the laws of nature. Animals don’t get burned out or exhausted because they look after themselves.
What are you doing to nurture yourself?
3. Go with the flow – I recently wrote a blog post about being inspired by grass. It seems a rather bizarre thing to be inspired by as a leader but there is so much we can learn from the easiness of nature. You see, grass doesn’t work hard to grow. It just grows naturally when the time is right, without a fight. When we allow ourselves to accept what is available to us in the present moment and use it to the best advantage, that’s when we become most effective as leaders.
How does going with the flow make your life easier?
4. Create opportunity from adversity – Animals in the wild are rarely handed food on a plate. They have to work hard for it. They have to look for an opportunity. When food is scarce, they become more creative and look in different places and in different ways. We can see the current recession as a terrible thing or we can consider it as an opportunity for us to change the way we do things, even change our jobs, do things we really want to do, create things we’ve only dreamed of, really make a difference to the world, to society and to other people. Stop doing what you’ve always done and find a new way to do things that fill you with joy.
What is the adversity in your life that you can turn into an opportunity?
5. Let go to make space for the new - The four seasons are important each year. I love them all because they all represent different aspects of life and are a reminder to think about things differently. Winter is essential because it allows the old to die off naturally and make space for the new. Spring is a time of hope. After winter has cleared out the old, spring provides an opportunity to consider what we want in our lives and create the space for it. Summer is the prime of life where the new growth becomes more established and starts to evolve. Autumn is a time to prepare for winter, to consider what you no longer want in your life and what you are prepared to let go of.What will you let go of to create space for the new things you really want in your life?
6. Be proud of your success – Animals are proud of their achievements. They don’t see it as them being superior or inferior but just as part of evolution and part of nature. When my dog Gracie had her puppies, she was just so proud of them. She had that gooey look on her face that young mums have as though she had done something truly incredible… which she had. She knew she was doing what she was meant to do. It was natural and it was beautiful. It seemed effortless. It was meant to be.
What are you doing naturally that you can be proud of?
7. Express your emotions – I recently watched a programme about the Inuits. What struck me was the simplicity of their lives and their ability to express emotions so freely. When they were sad, they cried; when they were happy, they laughed freely. When we express our emotions freely, we are being human and people see us for who we really are. When we hide behind a facade of non-emotion, people misunderstand us. Be yourself and include your emotions as part of you.
What is your impact when you allow yourself to express your emotions?
8. Be curious - Cats are so good at this. They are naturally curious. As part of my coaching training, I had to learn the skill of curiosity by spending 15 minutes with my head under the kitchen sink. Not trying to work things out, not needing to have answers but just being curious. Thankfully my kitten came along and joined in and I learned from following his lead. Most of our questions are based on wanting information so that we can do something with it. Being curious is about learning and growth. I wrote a blog post about leaders who have the Confidence to ask curious questionsWhat happens when you are really curious?
9. Reduce conflict through understanding – My cat (Dennis) and dog (Gracie) actually get on well although it’s clear they do not understand each other. When Dennis is cross, he wags his tail so when he sees Gracie wag her tail, he runs away. When Dennis licks his lips, it’s because he’s hungry. Gracie licks her lips as a sign of submission but Dennis interprets this as Gracie wanting to eat him. It’s no wonder that cats and dogs don’t understand each other because they misinterpret each other’s signals. As human beings we know that people do things differently and have different opinions yet we continue to misunderstand each other. When we seek understanding first, then we can reduce conflict. I cover this in more detail in my blog post on Putting love back into business
Who will you try to understand better and what is the impact?
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