Mapping of Indian National Highways
The mapping of India's national highways, a major project for the Central Road Research Institute, is slated to finish in 2009. 50,000 of the 65,000 kilometers of national highways are being plotted. This is an important development; better maps are the first step towards better transportation systems, which are a key point in the country's economy. Using some of the most sophisticated new technology, they are also looking at the condition of the roads, which will allow the government to know where repairs are most needed. Efficient, reliable transport of goods saves money and encourages business, hopefully promoting a healthy flow of capital in the world's second-most-populous country.
"Indian National Highway GIS Mapping by 2009..."
Please check out the link, this is a really long and interesting story. The United State and South Korea have been talking about make a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. They concluded their 5th round of talks today via a teleconference in Montana. With this FTA the United States hopes to be able to avoid the tariff and taxes placed on American goods sent to South Korea. In specific the US hopes to be able to ship American cars and medicine to the area without the heavy tax. The FTA would also help the agriculture of the area bringing in new types of crops. South Korea earlier this week would not accept a shipment of American beef, showing how back-and-forth they have been on reaching a decision with the US
and the FTA. If the US could make an agreement with South Korea it would be the largest FTA since the NAFTA pact of 1994. I personally feel that this move is not a smart move considering the conditions of the area. With North Korea the way it is it almost seems like another way to get closer to a country that we have suspicions about. Maybe it is an honest agreement, maybe not?
E.coli outbreak
CNN reports that over 120 people in 6 states may be infected with the E.coli bacteria. Many people are connecting the E.coli outbreak to Tacobells in the area. 63 people offically have the illness and 60 more cases are being investigated. After interviewing the people who have been infected it was found that most people had eaten at a Tacobell, prior to falling ill. I don't think that there was anything that the infected people could do. This story will hurt Tacobells sales for sure. I know after seeing this I probably won't have a "crunchuweezy" for a while.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, over the Amazon 154 passengers and crew died after their commercial jet crashed. The jet was flying at 37,000 feet according to the report when it collided with small jet, similar to a Leer Jet piloted by two Americans. Joseph Lepore, one of the pilots flying along with the second pilot, were arrested after their plane safely landed. The police immediately accused with connection to the crash. Their passports and rights of travel were taken away right away. Not until later in the week, early this week did a judge rule that they were not to be held and that they had no
reason to be held. The pilots have an agreement with the Brazil government to return back to the country of Brazil if a crime is found to be committed. Both men are free as of now. Both plane systems failed to alarm that they were in the same traffic pattern of another aircraft and clearance was given to the pilots to fly at the same altitude. To accuse the Americans of full fault is not right, if clearance was given and both systems failed.
Hypothermia killed missing dad.
NBC's Peter Alexander reports that this father was lost in the snowy wilderness while seeking help for his stranded family. James Kim traveled about 10 miles before succumbing to hypothermia. This happened in Central Point, Oregon. He was a San Franscisco man who had passed away very close to a fishing lodge which was full of food and warmth. Oregon officials stated the road the family was stranded on was normally blocked, but the gate had been unlocked by a vandal.
This man had no way of knowing about the Black Bar Lodge where he could have found shelter, and enough food to last him months. His cold body was discovered in shallow water feeding Big Windy Creek just about a mile away from survival.
The searchers found his body two days after finding his family in a car they used as shelter for a week in the coastal mountains. The road they had taken is locked for hte winter months starting on November 1st.
This story is sad, and was respected by all who heard about a father just trying to save his family. He did nothing wrong. He is a hero for what he attempted. This story has alot of smaller details about what happened. So you any of you have any questions, I advise reading the article. This shows one fathers/husbands courage and bravery to save his family.
hero.
In Arlington Virginia, a wet piece of concrete collapsed the scafolding it was sitting on and fell to the ground. In total, 16 workers were injured, three of which are listed in critical condition. It took two hours to get the final victims out, and get everyone accounted for. The ironic part of the story is that today was the day planned to have the "topping off party" for the completion of the concrete laying.
I am very glad to see that no one was killed in this incident. However, as I read this article, I wondered to myself, what makes this article newsworthy? Don't get me wrong, I think that this is a bad (and newsworthy) accident. However, what makes this event more important than the murders and genocide in other parts of the world. I do not understand why something like this gets onto the "top stories" section, when everyday, large numbers of people in Africa are being mistreated and murdered. It seems to me that things like this should get the top story everday, so people could understand what is going on. It just shocks me that some minor thing (not that this story is minor) in the United States will get a million times more attention than something really terrible in another country. I believe that a situation like the one above is news worthy, and people should know about it, but I just do not get why more significant issues do not get more coverage. My intentions of this blog were not to bash whoever wrote this article. However, I think that if you are going to rank something "newsworthy," any other event that is just as ,if not more important, should be deemed "newsworthy" as well.
Maps
Does anyone know how to find land use patterns maps for Sartell or economic activities as well as historical patterns? Any help would be great. Thanks.
This post is on my frustration of seeing the constant Global Warming articles in our blog. I undrestand that Global Warming is a large issue in our world today but I am tired of seeing new articles posted about it everyday. I don't need to see how our cars are polluting the atmosphere at rapid rates. Try and tell me something I don't know. I also already know that areosol is bad for the enviroment and there are more natural disasters occur due to this climate change. Instead of blogging on pollution lets blog on new species of animals discovered, new members of the EU, obesity in America, and new ancient discoveries. So lets all agree to make a differance in our world pollute less and not constantly post articles on GLOBAL WARMING.
P.S.- I also am tired of reading about the Iraq conflict, its old news hearing how long we are going to in be Iraq for.
President Bush met with congressional leaders last Friday and said he would consider their ideas about Iraq. Congressional leaders believe that we need to make new advances in Iraq by taking out troops and bringing them home, not by asking Iraqi soldiers but just by telling them and doing it. President Bush isn't expected to accept all 79 recommendations but it is said that some new tactics may be in order.
President Bush said that he now realizes that his success rate is not as rapid as he hoped it would be and that it still isn't. Bush earlier met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Blair endorsed his ideas of bringing democracy to the Middle East. Bush is set to give a big speech on the war in Iraq before Christmas talking about the recommendations and what he is going to do.
I'm eager to see what Bush says and what changes he makes because I have felt that we have needed to make changes for quite sometime. Troops have been dying left and right and I don't believe that some deaths have been necessary. We have been there too long and I'm happy that finally Bush sees this and is hopefully making some changes.
For more information on Tony Blair and President Bush meeting as well as other countries on the topic of Iraq click here
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/07/bush.blair/index.html.
Wildfires in Australia
A smoky haze can be seen from space, covering a section of the Australian state of Victoria, where several wildfires, at last count 18, are raging along the southeast coast, northwest of Melbourne. Nine people have died, 24 schools have been closed, and many small towns, cities, and farms are considered to be in danger. Thousands of firefighters, along with aircraft and heavy machinery, have been working to control the blaze.
For any development, anywhere in the world, natural hazards are a cause for concern. Now, before anyone posts a comment saying, "we should work to put this fire out," you have to realize that wildfires are a natural process and the environment needs them. Small, frequent fires clear the ground in forests, burning near the ground, and are over quickly, without killing all of the older trees, but if we interrupt the process and there aren't enough fires, an excess of saplings, many of which should have burned before, crowd the woods and are now tall enough to pass the flames into the crowns of the largest trees. The leaves, dead wood, and other junk on the forest floor builds up so that a small spark can cause massive blazes. Many forest services do controlled burns to limit these dangers. The point is, fires can be monitored, but should be allowed to run their course. If possible, they will try to keep the flames from cities and houses, but it's just an unavoidable risk of building in areas like this; any time you're playing with fire, you're liable to get burned.
In the hot southern-Australian summers, wildfires are apparently commonplace, but I was surprised to read that more fires are started by people, through agricultural burning, accidents, and arson, than by natural causes. Humans have messed up the process entirely by tapping resources, clearing and developing land, etc. and now starting the fires.
"Thousands Battle Fires in Australia..."
Research done recently found that birds changed their song in order to suite city life better. This study is the first of its kind to be completed (it compares the birds of one species living in cities with the same species of bird in the wilderness. This particular species was studied in ten major cities across Europe and the researchers were surprised at the consistency that appeared in every one.
The birds changed their songs in order to be heard above the buzz of the city. The birds in the city sang their song faster than those living in the forest, and they eliminated the low-pitched parts of the song. Because these parts of the song are hard to hear above traffic noise, it is a waste of time and energy for the birds to sing them.
It is Darwinism at its finest. Because male birds use their song to attract a mate and reproduce, the birds that changed their song to be heard better survived and passed on this new song. With this natural selection process, the scientists say that this may eventually lead to the city dwellers and the forest birds to evolve into 2 separate species. It is known that not many birds thrive in urban settings, but with this information found scientists are able to learn more about this process and other ways urbanization affects birds.
In London, British detectives were investigating the poisoning death of Alexander Litvenenko who was a former Russian spy. When the British detective got to Moscow they were told they could not see Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB agent, who was their main suspect. They also said the British would not be able to speak to any suspects alone nor could they take them back to Britain if charged.
British officals feel the Russian government is interfering with the investigation especially since all the evidence points to Russia and Lugovoi. About a week before Litvenenko was poisoned, Lugovoi flew back to London and both his hotel and plane tested positive for radiation. Then a day before the poisoning Lugovoi came back from London where they found that his plane, hotel, and even a soccer stadium also tested positive.
It is also reported that an Italian security consultant named Mario Scaramella said he wanted to warn the ex-spy. Scaramella said he received a number of e-mails filled with specific threats and details but he didn’t believe they could/would happen. Scaramella said he was also being threatened in these e-mails. Scaramella and Litivenenko met in London at a sushi bar where some thought Litivenenko was poisoned. It seemed suspicious because Scaramealla didn’t eat. He said he didn’t like sushi. Although Scaramealla is cooperating many don’t trust his reputation either.
Do you think the radioactive trail will lead to Moscow and to Russian authorities in Litvenenko’s death? Litvinenko was also a former colonel in the Russian security service and was known to be a very outspoken critic of Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/print?id=2703332www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/Europe/12/05/spycase.scaramella/indez.html
Can you name one of the seven ancient wonders of the world? Hundreds, no actually thousands of years ago these unbelievable creations were made by humans, but today the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt is the only last Ancient 7 Wonder still standing. An organization called the New 7 Wonders Foundation located in Heidi Weber Museum in Zurich, Switzerland is holding a vote around the world to vote on 7 New Wonders. There’s a list of 21 to choose from and all have been built by people. To qualify the structures had to have been built or founded by 2000.
Previously the 7 ancient wonders of the world were located around the Mediterranean Sea because the area was rich in culture and education. Today the 21 nominees are located all around the world and are still standing. The Pyramids of Giza near Cairo, Egypt are still a finalist. In North America there are two nominees; including the Statue of Liberty and Chichen Itla Aztec Site in Mexico. In South America you can vote for Machu Picchu, in Peru, Easter Island Statues in Chile, and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil along with many more. To view the other favorite new wonders nominees go to
www.new7wonders.com. What new wonder do you feel is worthy of being named a wonder of the world? Place your vote and watch for an announcement to be made on July 7, 2007. This competition encourages people from all over the world to pay respect and attention to reserve treasures around the world.
See
Britney Spears..
I thought this was extremely funny, since we sometimes hear Mrs. Hartmann say such "nice" things about britney spears.
Britney Spears,
Yahoo's number one search item.
Water on Mars
According to
this article there could be water on Mars.. You know what that means, life on different planets? maybe.
"New photographs from space suggest that water occasionally flows on the frigid surface of Mars, raising the tantalizing possibility that the red planet is hospitable to life, scientists reported Wednesday." The images were taken by NASA global mars surveyor. Although there is not signs of flowing water, this is still a big step. The scienctists who study mars believe that this is a big step that plays into if there is life on other planets.
It is believed that Mars used to be full of water puddles back in the old days. They believe this because there were thousands of gullies photographed that were believed to be created by rushing water, and the gullies are young in geologic time.
"The news excited scientists who hunt for extraterrestrial life. If the finding is confirmed, they say, all the ingredients favorable for life on Mars are in place: liquid water and a stable heat source."
Is there life on other planets??
Infected Blood Donations
Until very recently, few people had heard of vCJD, or variant Creut-zfeld-Jakob Disease. Now, for those in Britain who have received blood transfusions, they can only wish they hadn't. At least three deaths have been confirmed to be due to infected blood donations, a high percentage of the small group known to have received blood from supposedly-healthy donors who later developed the illness.
It begins with exposure to a certain TSE in cattle, through infected beef. After crossing the species barrier, transmission becomes much easier. vCJD is spread through transfusion of infected blood and may also be passed on by surgical implements. The fact is, it is very hard to control this when symptoms do not show for as much as a decade, and there are no tests, so there is no way to know how much or who of the blood supply, donors, or receivers have the disease. vCJD begins with neurological dysfunctions-- variations on schizophrenia and depression-- and escalates to shut down mobility and slowly deteriorate the body.
Now, regarding the surgical instruments....particularly those used in dental surgery. Apparently, and here I quote directly from the article, "routine sterilisation is not enough to destroy the prions that cause the disease." !!! I was surprised by this comment. I hope the health officials consider this completely unacceptable and make every effort to eliminate the possibility of transmission through surgery.
It's a scary thought: that the only thing that can save your life at one point may kill you ten years later. I know a bit about the concerns of health organizations when it comes to donated blood. Many students participated in the blood drive recently, which is a wonderful thing to do, so long as you know your blood is healthy. I, however, regardless of age, would not be accepted as a donor, along with any others who have lived in the UK for long enough; Red Cross restrictions state that "The American Red Cross is refusing donations from people who have spent a cumulative three months in Great Britain or those who have spent six months in any part of Europe since 1980. " These restrictions are in place because of diseases like vCJD, which could lie dormant for years, undetectable, and suddenly become lethal.
Yet another worry of globalization... There have been very few cases of vCJD in the US; they are chiefly concentrated in Britain, with a few scattered in Europe, but with this new development, there is more concern about it spreading. As we know from our textbook, this affects more than just the people who catch it...remember the bans on British beef exports? Many, many problems are caused by these virtually uncontrollable bugs.
More about vCJD, from the World Health Organization... Article:
"Infected Blood Threatens Fresh Outbreak of vCJD..."
Another 12 to 18 months?
I recently read a article on the security in Iraq and when we will be able to give control to the Iraqi police force. The current general in Iraq said that it will take another 12 to 18 months to achieve this control. He said that American forces are currently readjusting their strategies to achieve this. He believes that this possibility is definitely possible on a realistic time scale.
Ok. Does anyone else feel that the government has been saying that we will give control to the Iraqi police force for over 2 years. I am getting really frustrated that the government is saying that this will happen in a set number of months and then seeing that it doesnt happen. I trully feel that the goverment needs to do something to get possible because I am really getting sick of hearing supposed months when we will be able to start withdrawing troops. The United States has dug themselves deep in Iraq. Iraq is becoming considerablly close to a civil war and no matter what the United States says, this civil war will happen. These extremists will find anyway to try to accomplish their goals. We have already seen them do this. Overall though, I feel that the government is making statements that never come true. Someone else please blog on this, because I want to hear what you think.
Realistic Time Scale?
Turkey has recently been struggling in being accepted into the EU. The reason for this conflict has been the island of Cyprus which is split between Greek inhabitants in the south and Turkish inhabitants in the north. There has been dispute and trade blocks between the sections since 1974 when Turkey invaded the island. The EU has offered to open trade to the Turkish northern half of Cyprus if they would open there ports to the Greeks in the southern half. Turkey has been very stubborn in these negotiations leading to a proposed partial freeze of talks between the EU and Turkey. Yet Turkey has now offered to open one of its major north Cyprus sea ports to the Greek Cypriots. This has encouraged the EU leaders to continue in the negotiations yet many still seek to have all the ports opened. I believe that this move by Turkey shows a desire to negotiate and change in order to be accepted into the EU. Although its not a lot it is still a big move to begin a cooperative attitude between the Turks and Greeks in Cyprus. I believe that eventually this will lead to fully open ports in Cyprus and finally peace and agreement in Cyprus. This is another example of how the EU has become powerful enough to overcome long held grudges and trade blocks and is truly creating a unified Europe.
Our WorldContinuation of Global Warming
Below was a post about the findings of NASA and global warming. I found a site that had some interesting information on types of crops that have been produced to help with the transition of this “Global Warming”. In research that was done by this company rice yield is dropping 10% for every degree Celsius rise at night. Most plants tend not to grow as fast in extremely hot temperatures because photosynthesis is stopped to help retain water. The developers have developed rice that can survive prolonged water submergence to help balance out the extreme hot temperatures. The researchers have also developed a new type of wheat that is climate resistant, C4, which will help with the ever shifting wheat belt. It is projected that in the next 50 years, the American “bread basket” will be in Canada. The picture posted shows this in greater detail.
Mars Has Liquid Water
NASA scientists proclaimed there was water found that was flowing throughout Mars. Researchers assume that for the past seven years, water has flowed through gullies in the Martian craters. They appear such as fingerlike branches. This also could be considered acidic water, however it’s more likely that this water found is rainwater. This water found in mars appears it’s involved.
Researchers also believe it could have originated in subsurface aquifers. This water could have even came from snow that has been melted. Beliefs to this water also came to the conclusion of other living organisms on this planet. However, that is not for sure.
Mars.
His name is Ananias Mathe and was detained last December with more then 50 charges, including murder and rape. At the age of 29, from Mozambique, was captured just two weeks after escaping from a top security jail near Pretoria. This man had stabbed a security guard in the eye using a screwdriver after being cornered in a house somewhere. To bring him down to be captured, he was shot 3 times in the back of the leg. Mathe is described as "the ultimate criminal." During the search for Ananias, the police shot and wounded a man by mistake after someone had called and identified him as the escaped prisoner. Mathe is the first prinsoner to escape from this prison since it opened 36 years ago. This man, who has had intense military training, escaped by covering his body with vaseline and squeezed through his cell window that measured 8inches by 2feet. When he was returned to the prison, a minister said he would be leaving again for an urgent operation to fix the shattered bone in the back of his leg that was wounded during the arrest.
A new NASA satellite reveals data showing that global warming may cause the oceans food chain to be destroyed. The data showed a significant like between warmer water and the reduction of phytoplankton. This could be caused by either El Nino or global warming, both of which create warmer waters. Phytoplankton is a microscopic plant life that multiple marine animals rely on for food. The leader of this study, Micheal Behrenfeld, said that this dramatic drop may be a "sneak peak of how ocean biology will respond later in the century." This change in such a small plant life is going to have an effect on everything higher up in the food chain. Between 1999 and 2004 the amount of phytoplankton has dropped about 200 million tons a year. That’s a lot.
Another worry in that the reduction of phytoplankton in the world’s oceans will cause the water to absorb less carbon dioxide. This gas is one of the main gasses causing global warming to begin with. Phytoplankton takes carbon dioxide out of the air by making food.
This is a very frightening sign of global warming which is affecting the entire world. It seems like such a small plant to cause any big problems but it will affect the entire food chain as it is a source of food for so many other animals. I think the entire concept of global warming is quite interesting and this is just another sign of it. I hope that something will be done as more evidence is shown of the negative effects it is having on our environment.
Problems in Russia
As we are starting to discuss and learn more about Russia, the movie we watched the other day sparked some interest. Maybe the movie was old and out of date but it seemed to me that Russia was an extremely poor and unhealthy country. I looked more into the issues and problems in Russia and found that the air pollution is high on the list.
The death of the Soviet union was a strong influence to the poor enviroment issues. The Soviet Union focused more on the growth of the industrial revolution and less on the enviroment issues. In fact, instead of helping the problem, they focused more on putting up more factories and industries to help boost their economy. The problem doubled with the ignorance to the problem and the increasing of factors.
The problems are very current and significant larger cities, like Moscow and St. Petersburg. A huge contributor is the one source pollution, such as their aging powerplants. They are extremely old and lack the proper equipment, which results in high amounts of emissions and toxic waste. Another factor is the automobile emissions such as nitride oxide, lead, and carbon monoxide. Unfortunately, the economic growth will continue to increase the amount of automobiles and therefore increase the pollution.
The numbers are enough evidence that this is occuring. In Moscow 90% of pollution is from automobiles. Right now in 84 cities in Russia, the air pollution is tens times the safety number. In children, levels of respiratory issues are 50% higher than national average. In 1999, in 120 cities the levels of one pollutant is 5 times higher than should be and even worse, 8 cities have exceeded the limits of three or more pollutants.
Enviromental Problems
In St. Petersburg, Russia a debate is occurring over a proposed new skyscraper. The new building will stand 1299 feet tall, which is three times larger than the current highest building in St. Petersburg. The company looking to build this skyscraper is Gazprom which is currently the largest company in Germany. There has been considerable opposition to the building by citizens of the city who say that such a large structure will ruin the architecture of the city and look ugly and out of place compared to the surrounding buildings. Politicians including the mayor of St. Petersburg claim that this building will provide the city with much needed money and help it to develop its industrial center. I believe that this building is a great way to boost the economy of St. Petersburg, and in turn will help the development of the Russian economy. The fear of change shown by the citizens is common to anyone, yet overall I believe that the building should be built, and many more like it.
New York City bans trans fats
Tuesday, New York City passed a ban on trans fats in food. All restaurants must get rid of foods containing this artery clogging oil by July of 2008. The only exception is if the restaurant serves the food in the way it came from the manufacturer. Trans fats are not only found in foods like chicken fingers and french fries, but also in foods like crackers, pancakes and hot cocoa mix. The FDA estimates that the average person eats about 4.7 pounds of trans fats a year. Many people are comparing this ban, to the ban placed on smoking three years ago. Chicago is also considering a ban like this, but is limited to the restaurants that make over 20 million dollars in sales a year.
Now I consider myself a very health-conscious person, but I think this is just ludicrous. This is crazy! I understand these oils are very bad for you, but I think that if you want to go out and enjoy some nice juicy chicken fingers with fries and some hot cocoa, you should be able to! People are trying to compare this to the smoking ban, which I am a full supporter of, but I believe the comparison is wrong! Smoking also affects the people around you, but I believe that it is your own prerogative to monitor your health and be responsible for it; an eater should know their limits. I do not think it is the government’s right to say what people can and cannot eat. If trans fats were really all that bad for you, the FDA would ban them… Other countries are still allowed to serve foods with trans fats and their residents are healthy. I think we need to stop telling people what not to eat, and teach people the right portions for foods with trans fats in them. Am I just an opinion extremist? What are your views on this issue? The full article is below if you would like to read it.
Site
Class Summary
Class Summary
Yesterday during class, 12/04/06, we took the Europe test. We then got Russia maps and had work time on those for the rest of the day.
My Christmas List for 2006
Alright kiddos, only twenty shopping days until
Christmahanakwanzaka 2006, so I'm giving you all my Christmas list early. Here are some things I would enjoy from everyone on Our World:
I would like....
- To be able to read a blog concerning political matters that is devoid of tasteless, frivilous, ridiculous, factless assumptions. If I read one more post that just blatantly isn't true or tries to be true but fails valiantly, I'm going to consider it a big lump of coal in my stocking.
- To actually understand why some people think that their posts have anything to do with this class. "Chilean boy born with fetus in his stomach" is not a title for Our World, it's a title for the National Enquirer.
- To be able to carry on a meaningful conversation in class for more than three minutes, and get more than four people involved. I can honestly say that I know most everyone has an opinion on the war, poverty, terrorism, or even if European men are better looking than American men. (Are you listening PudgyPoof?) So why don't we try to just open up a little-no body is going to laugh at you....well, they might.
Well, I've probably alienated a lot of people with this, so I'll just end on a good note.
MERRY CHRISTMAS (yeah, that's right...I said Christmas!) ***gasp***
