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Haley Luurtsema

SYSTEM WOULD HELP HAITI BUILD, MODIFY EARTHQUAKE-PRONE STRUCTURES. - 0 views

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Haiti Earthquake Effect

shared by Haley Luurtsema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Civil engineers studying the effects of Haiti's devastating earthquake have concluded that a relatively simple system could be used by officials to quickly decide how to modify existing buildings and construct new ones that would better withstand future quakes.
  • The system represents a practical method to improve the earthquake resistance of buildings
  • About 40 percent of the buildings were heavily damaged, and findings showed that about 90 percent of those damaged structures would have been classified as vulnerable if the system had been in use.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • The researchers surveyed 170 buildings damaged in the January 2010 earthquake.
  • Irfanoglu said. "Its strength is in its simplicity and the ease of measuring it in the field."
  • The flaw is widespread in Haiti
  • "captive columns,"
  • wall is attached to a column but does not extend as high as the column, leaving a portion of the column unsupported
  • What the index tells you is that for a given-size building, the smaller the columns and the fewer the walls between the columns, the more likely the building is to have severe damage," Irfanoglu said. "Its strength is in its simplicity and the ease of measuring it in the field." The index is a ratio of the combined cross sectional areas of all of the ground-story columns and walls compared to a building's total usable floor area.
  • About 60 percent of the 170 buildings had captive columns.
  • Haley Luurtsema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: Still today, what are the social, economical, and political effects of the earthquake in Haiti? Citation Source: "SYSTEM WOULD HELP HAITI BUILD, MODIFY EARTHQUAKE-PRONE STRUCTURES." States News Service 19 Oct. 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: This Article is about engineers studying the effects of Haiti's terrible earthquake. They tell us that if the people had constructed their buildings differently, many would not have been destroyed so dramatically. The engineers have found a system to improve the earthquake resistance of buildings. Out of 170 damaged buildings surveyed in January, 40% were heavily damaged, and 90% of those buildings would have been vulnerable if the system was in place. The Article goes on to tell us that for a certain sized building, the smaller the columns and fewer the walls between the columns, the more damaged the building will be. They discovered that most homes in Haiti had these "captive columns." This is were a wall is attached to a column, but does not extend as tall as the column, leaving a portion unsupported. It tells us around 60% of the 170 buildings had captive columns. However, the engineers have decided to follow the system to help reinforced concrete buildings today. 
Andrew Kuper

Wong Sees 'Tough Budget' for Australia on Floods, Currency - Businessweek - 0 views

www.businessweek.com/...tralia-on-floods-currency.html

Australia Flood Economy Financial

shared by Andrew Kuper on 15 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • We got some short term softness -- that’s as a result of a number of factors, the floods, the cyclone, but also a cautious consumer and a strong Aussie dollar
  • The Australian dollar has risen to a record versus its U.S. counterpart
  • The government expects a A$3 billion decline in company tax revenue and a drop of A$1 billion in income tax intake, Wong said today.
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  • Economists have estimated the damage from the floods may reach $20 billion, or about 1.5 percent of Australia’s $1.3 trillion economy, while the cost of rebuilding after Cyclone Yasi may be more than A$2 billion.
  • In addition, Japan’s strongest earthquake in history on March 11 is estimated to have dented demand for Australia’s bulk commodities by almost A$2 billion in this fiscal year, shaving less than one-fourth of a percentage point from GDP, according to the Treasury.
  • Andrew Kuper on 15 Apr 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation:"Wong Sees 'Tough Budget' for Australia on Floods, Currency" http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-04-09/wong-sees-tough-budget-for-australia-on-floods-currency.html Summary: This article talks about how Australia will be affected financially following the floods. It mentioned that the total cost of the damages are equal to roughly 1.5% of the country's A$1.3 trillion economy. It also talked about how Japan's earthquake affected Australia, because they receive many Japanese imports.Questions:1. What exactly does Japan have to do with this?2. How will the people rebuild and finance all this damage? 3. Are these figures in American dollars or Australian dollars? *Edit: Reposting because I forgot to share to WC group. Old post deleted.
jeni bouwman

Egyptian tourist sites to reopen; tomb break-ins reported - CNN.com - 0 views

www.cnn.com/...index.html

egyptian

shared by jeni bouwman on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • at least 17 artifacts were missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
  • Saying he hopes "tourists from around the world will soon return,"
  • tourist sites will reopen on Sunday.
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • The decision was made after Hawass met with members of the ministry and the Antiquities and Tourism Police to discuss security measures.
  • In addition, some storage magazines in Saqqara, including one near the pyramid of Teti, had their seals broken, along with a magazine at Cairo University, the ministry said.
  • Mubarak stepped down Friday after 18 days of protests and unrest.
  • that ancient burial sites have been broken into.
  • "Dr. Hawass stated he hopes tourists from around the world will soon return to Egypt,"
  • reports on what, if anything, is missing.
  • 5th Dynasty pharaohs chose to site their burial monuments. Saqqara, one of Egypt's oldest burial sites, has several royal pyramids.
  • at least 17 artifacts were missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
  • he museum was broken into on January 28, not long after anti-Mubarak protests began.
  • He updated that number to 18 on Monday
  • New Kingdom coffin had been found in a preliminary search of the museum and its grounds.
  • Hawass said he believes the looters dropped objects as they fled, and "every inch of the museum must be searched before the Registration, Collections Management and Documentation Department, which is overseeing the inventory, can produce a complete and final report of exactly what is missing," the post said.
  • "would like to clarify earlier statements in which he announced that nothing was missing (from the museum)." He said when the search committee made its first pass through the museum, "objects that were at first thought to be missing were found thrown into trash cans and corners far from their original locations" and he was led to believe that all the items would be found in a full search.
  • Professionals out to steal would normally be careful not to damage the objects they were planning to take, so the initial impression was that the attackers were vandals rather than thieves," the blog post said. Hawass was also misinformed by a museum staffer about a statue of the pharaoh Akhenaten and was told it was only damaged when it was missing, the post said.
  • jeni bouwman on 17 Feb 11
     
    Summary: In this Article I read that The Egyptian Museum in Cairo got broken into. About 18 ancient burial sites were broken into. Hawass is on top of this and he said to the committie to report if anything is missing. Hawass also believes that the looters were dropping the object as they were running away from the Egyptian Millitary. After more researching and looking around for the object they found they in crazy places like in trash cans, not damaged. Everything they thought was missing was found later on.  Response: I thought this was a crazy article because they are making such a big deal about all this stuff that was missing. Making it seem like it was a tragic thing... which it would of been if they never found the missing objects. But they did, I feel like it was a waste of time to read this article because nothing really happened . Questions: 1. Why did they make such a big deal out of it if they found all the objects that were missing?  2. Who would even try breaking in and stealing objects for the museum? 3. Will this make more tourist come and see the museum, because of this?  4. Why were the object's moved.. and not stolen? Who would just move them around? 
Won Geun Jung

BBC News - Regions and territories: Abkhazia - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...3261059.stm

Russia Georgia BBC War Abkhazia

shared by Won Geun Jung on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in 1999, but Tbilisi continues to regard it as a breakaway region
  • Abkhazia's battle for independence from Georgia since the collapse of the USSR reduced the economy to ruins. More recent times have seen major Russian investment in the territory, as Moscow seeks to consolidate its influence.
  • In 2010 Russia said it had deployed S-300 anti-aircraft missiles in Abkhazia in order to defend it and South Ossetia, shortly after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited Sukhumi. Georgia expressed "concern" at the move.
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  • Meanwhile, Abkhaz forces drove Georgian troops out of the only area of Abkhazia still under Tbilisi's control - the Kodori gorge.
  • After the 2008 conflict, Moscow declared that it would formally recognise the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. As of the end of 2009, only Nicaragua and Venezuela had followed suit.
  • In October 2008, Russia pulled its troops back to the Abkhaz-Georgian border, but stationed a large force in the breakaway republic, with the agreement of the Sukhumi government.
  • Abkhazia formally declared independence in 1999, resulting in an international economic embargo that is still in force. It has left Abkhazia's economy highly dependent on Russia, which maintains a border crossing and railway line to Sukhumi.
  • However, in August 2008, during the war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia, Russian army troops moved through Abkhazia and pushed into Georgia proper, effectively using the region to open another front with Tbilisi.
  • Abkhazia's long history was always closely intertwined with that of Georgia, although its language is unrelated, and is closer to several spoken in the North Caucasus.
  • At the time of the collapse of the USSR in 1991, less than a fifth of the people of Abkhazia were ethnic Abkhaz, while the rest of the population was made up largely of Georgians.
  • Won Geun Jung on 17 Feb 11
     
    Regions and territories: Abkhazia  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3261059.stm Summary: Abkhazia already had a independent country in 756 AD and it was invaded by Russia and Georgia.  After Georgia declared independence in 1991, Georgia invaded Abkhazia in 1992.  So, Abkhazia had declared independence in 1999 and Georgia did not agreed the independence of Abkhazia.  In 2004, Georgia president Saakashvili tried to restore Georgia's land like Abkhazia, and South Ossetia.  In 2008, Georgia attacked Abkhazia and Russia attacked Georgia for protecting Abkhazia. Reflection: Even if Georgia did not accept their independence, Georgia needed to have conversation each other.  Also, Russia should not attack Georgia because it was huge damaged to Georgia.  If Russia was really willing to help them, Russia should be a neutral for both countries. Question:1) Why Russia interrupt between Georgia and Russia?2) Why Georgia did not accept Abkhazia as a country?3) How every country will be peaceful?4) Are both Georgia and Abkhazia safe?
Brielle DeFrell

Oil unrest grips Nigeria; Turbulent delta raises fears of global energy shock - 0 views

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blood oil nigeria

shared by Brielle DeFrell on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Search
  • On Jan. 11, a militia group calling itself Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) seized four Shell engineers and held them hostage for three weeks. Armed forces attacked a flow station, killed several workers and cut Nigeria's oil exports by 10 percent. Shell removed more than 500 employees from the region.
  • 1998, a military group from the Ijaw, the largest ethnic tribe in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta, stormed Shell pipelines and platforms, cutting off one-third of the country's oil exports.
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  • the fifth-largest exporter of crude oil to the United States
  • Before Nigerian elections in 2003, an ethnic uprising shut off 40 percent of the country's oil exports.
  • From January to September 2004, there were 581 cases of pipeline vandalism in Nigeria, according to the Energy Information Administration, a U.S. agency that provides official statistics.
  • "We don't see an end to conflicts in the near future," said Taylor B. Seybolt, an analyst at the U.S. Institute of Peace. "There is a host of problems entangled together, and we expect to see more violence coming."
  • China
  • National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) struck a $2.27 billion deal with Nigeria in mid-January.
  • The Nigerian government aims to increase oil output from 2.5 million barrels per day to 3 million by the end of the year and to 4 million in 2010
  • MEND has adopted tactics different from the old pattern. It asked Shell to pay $1.5 billion to Bayelsa state, stop all oil exports and expel all foreign workers from the delta. It also demanded that the government release Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a Niger Delta militia leader arrested in 2003.
  • Mr. Albin-Lackey, however, said the government is reluctant to push the militias too hard. "It is afraid that cracking down on the militias would ignite bigger conflicts, which would disrupt the country's oil production,
  • Nigeria's oil revenue accounts for 40 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and 76 percent of the federal government's revenue.
  • . A civil war in Nigeria could send the global oil price to $98 a barrel,
  • "Oil can be stolen on such a large scale that they have to use oil tankers to carry the oil out without people being caught," Mr. Albin-Lackey said. "They must be connected with people in a position of influence."
  • . "After only two or three months in power, officials have already begun their lives of luxury."
  • The nine oil-containing states of southern Nigeria have been plagued for years by oil spills and air pollution. After a half-century of drilling, many pipes are leaky. Explosions occur now and then, and the frequent sabotage adds to the spills. Acid rain and toxic water damage fishing and farming, and pose great threats to the health of residents.
  • Even as gasoline prices increase in the United States, Nigeria burns oil by-products 24 hours a day.
  • Sitting atop the world's ninth-largest concentration of oil, many ordinary Nigerians don't have basic necessities such as running water, electricity, health clinics and schools. The wealth from oil does not return to the land that produced it.
  • Nigeria, which exports oil worth $30 million to $40 million per day, average personal income per year is $390.
  • The federal government has promised that 13 percent of oil revenues would be returned to the oil states, but most of the money seeps away through various level of officialdom.
  • Shell began drilling in Nigeria in 1956, when it was still a British colony. Over the past 50 years, the company has become an icon of oil wealth to many Nigerians, and for most of the time, a quasi-governmental institution.
  • In 1993, after a massive spill in Ogoni state, local poet and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa began the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni people and demanded $10 billion from Shell for environmental damage.
  • On Nov. 10, 1995, he and eight Ogoni colleagues were executed by the Nigerian government for campaigning against the devastation of the delta by oil companies, prompting international condemnation.
  • Brielle DeFrell on 17 Feb 11
     
    Summary: As NIgeria has grown in their production of oil they have been dealing with many uprisings from the Nigerian people and different groups. The NIgerian government is planning on increasing oil output as the years go on, hoping they can have more world oil giants join them. MEND has used new tactics than in the past and has asked Shell to pay $1.5 billion and to stop all oil exports. They also asked them to get rid of all foreign works from the delta and to release Mejahid Dokubo-Asari, a militia leader they captured in 2003. The government knows to take care of the violence it needs to push the militias, but is afraid that doing so will create bigger problems. Since oil is 40% of Nigeria's revenue it is afraid that more violence would hurt the country's economy, also effecting the rest of the world's energy market. A civil war in Nigeria could send the global oil price to $98 billion a barrel! The militia is able to take the oil without getting caught, which has told the Nigerian government that the people taking it are connected to those of people in a position of influence. They are usually able to figure out who these people are after two or three months because the officials start showing their money in lives of luxury. All of the oil production has caused many oil spills, air pollution, explosions, acid rain, and toxic water, all posing great threats to the health of the Nigerian people. 
Andrew Kuper

Water, water everywhere: strong storms flood Australian cities. - 0 views

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Australia Flood

shared by Andrew Kuper on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • The downpours have caused the worst floods there in 50 years.
  • The cyclone caused rivers and lakes to flood, leaving about 386,000 square miles of the nation underwater. That is an area larger than Texas.
  • The rushing waves affected more than 200,000 people.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • some experts say the country's economy could suffer for years.
  • estimates repairs will cost more than $5 billion.
  • Andrew Kuper on 17 Feb 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods? Citation: "Water, water everywhere: strong storms flood Australian cities." Weekly Reader News Edition 4-6 [a Weekly Reader publication] 11 Feb. 2011: 2+. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: Australia is recovering from the worst flood it's seen in 50 years. The flooding was caused by heavy rain from a cyclone. Over 386,000 square miles of Australia is underwater. The flooding has affected over 200,000 people, and has cost at least five billion dollars (not sure if it's Australian or US) in damages. Analysis: This is simply shocking to me. I'm bothered by how little attention this has received in relation to the magnitude of what's going on. The amount of land that is underwater is larger in area than the state of Texas, and 200,000 people have been affected. By comparison, Hurricane Katrina left only 1,500 people homeless, and we're still talking about that six years later. Questions: 1. What are the environmental/ecological impacts of the flooding? 2. How will this affect Australia's economy/businesses? 3. What all is being done to help those affected?
William Leys

AFP: Australia floods to cut growth: bank - 0 views

www.google.com/...M5hpeLcjHpScSlPdHCUdZdjhYYhhsA

floods australia

shared by William Leys on 16 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • SYDNEY — Australia's record floods will shear one percentage point off growth in the March quarter, the central bank said Tuesday, with preliminary estimates showing a 15 percent drop in coal output
  • "The biggest effect on GDP was likely to arise from swings in coal production, with many Queensland mines severely affected by wet weather since December," the bank said in the minutes to its latest interest rate meeting, published Tuesday.
  • Treasurer Wayne Swan has flagged a 0.5 percentage point drop in growth for the current fiscal year due to the floods, which killed 35 people and brought the nation's third-largest city, Brisbane, to a standstill.
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  • The coal industry, which flooding virtually shut down in Queensland last month, stood to lose about Aus$5 billion (US$5.02 billion) in exports from the crisis, while agriculture could take a Aus$2 billion hit, Swan said.The floods were followed by a top-level cyclone which Treasury estimates wiped out Aus$700 million in rural production, Aus$200 million in coal exports and Aus$100 million in tourism activity.
  • William Leys on 16 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding?Summary: People are all losing money because Australia's 3rd largest city (Brisbane) completely came to a halt from the floods.  Reflections: It's bad that Australia is going to lose a large chunk of their GDP, at the same time it isn't just going to effect them. Japan is  a huge importer of Australian coal. A good 10% of that coal is now under water and that will make it more difficult for Aussies to get coal to Japan, which in turn could raise the prices of Japanese made cars in the U.S. Questions: How much equipment was damaged as well?  
William Leys

Coal and Climate Change in Queensland - 0 views

socialistresistance.org/...d-climate-change-in-queensland

Australia

shared by William Leys on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The recent severe flooding in Australia that caused scores of deaths and billions of dollars in property damage and which was followed by an unusually powerful cyclone that caused damage hundreds of kilometers from the Queensland coast are the result of climate change. Floods and cyclone are natural phenomena but their unusual intensity and increasing frequency are linked to changes in weather patterns.
  • Meanwhile, ocean surface temperatures off northern Australia have been at record levels — as much as 5°C above average in some places.
  • Given this knowledge, the silence on the contribution of climate change to the January floods and Cyclone Yasi is deafening. The Royal Commission announced to investigate the floods will be limited to the response to the disaster and not the cause.
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  • The Australian and Queensland governments are putting fossil fuel company profits ahead of human safety.
  • William Leys on 10 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Floodings? Summary: Australia is putting fossil fuel production ahead of public safety in order to maintain low costs. Reflection: The article is definitely coming from a more socialist perspective (go figure), so they speak against the more Capitalist government in Australia. Questions: How will they be able to prevent future storms given the knowledge they have? They don't offer a solution, so do they know someone who does? "Coal and Climate Change in Queensland." Socialist Resistance (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 Mar 2011. .
Brielle DeFrell

Causes, Effects and Management of Oil Spill Pollution of Nigerian Coastal Area - 0 views

lis4.zalf.de/...NIGERIA.pdf

shared by Brielle DeFrell on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Brielle DeFrell on 14 Apr 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the oil competition in Nigeria?  Uchenna, Obih. "Causes, Effects and Management of Oil Spill Pollution of Nigerian Coastal Area." Humboldt University, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . Reflection: It's hard to imagine that so many problems could come from oil! It's crazy to think of the fact that it doesn't just hurt the water, but it hurts a lot of things on land too. Summary: Oil spills creates effects on biological things, fish production, and other general effects. For biological - it kills organisms and marine life, it can suffocate animals because of the heat the gets trapped underneath the oil, it can disrupt major food chains because it poisons algae, it hurts the birds and how they are able to fly, it causes oxygen levels to lower in the water, toxic effects can poison the animals which people eat and may result in food poisoning or death. Fish flesh is contaminated, sunlight isn't able to reach deep levels to create photosynthesis, covers the gills, directly damages fishing boats. It can also cause poverty, soil contamination, destroys fuel wood, contaminates drinking water.  Questions: What ways can we end oil spills? Is there a way to completely prevent them?  Are we going to be able to get rid of all the oil left in the water from the spills? 
ni iang

Eco-Luxury - - 0 views

www.time.com/...0,9171,995191-2,00.html

What are the effects of ecological conservation in Costa Rica.

shared by ni iang on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Matthew Cook, executive director of the Association for the Conservation of the Mono Titi (ASCOMOTI), a nonprofit dedicated to saving the endangered Costa Rican red-backed squirrel monkey, says an industry-wide drive is needed to prevent further environmental destruction. In Manuel Antonio, the organization has the support of 28 businesses that fund conservation and reforestation programs. Thanks to the efforts of some forward-thinking hoteliers, for travelers who relish a cocktail by the pool, conservation could not get any easier.
  • ni iang on 14 Apr 11
     
    Miranda, Carolina A. "Eco-Luxury." Time 20 Sept. 2004: 5 pars. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summery  This article talks about that some of the Hotel in Costa Rica are trying to help the environment by doing little thing that will help the environment.  Costa Rica has  been grappling with new challenges to their environment and it has growen well, all the natural beauty has attracted  millions of visitors.  But hotels and businesses increase their businesses into untouched areas.   New hotel in Costa Rica called the Four Seasons Resort has supported the environment by planting grass that can live on 50% of ocean water and 70% of the land will  remain in its natural state.  Another hotel Hacienda Pinilla also try to help environment.  The 4500 acre resort which is in the untouched area of the  Nicoya Peninsula, will maintain main areas of undeveloped land.  El Remanso hotel on the Pacific Coast have used fallen wood to build their cabins.  And also another association for the conservation of the Mono Titi, nonprofit, said that the industries need to prevent further environmental damage.  This organization support 28 businesses that work for conservation and reforestation programs. 
Andrew Kuper

Australia floods threaten Queensland capital; 14 dead, dozens missing - Los Angeles Times - 0 views

articles.latimes.com/...a-fg-australia-floods-20110112

Australia Flood Queensland

shared by Andrew Kuper on 11 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • 40,000 properties were expected to be affected by the overflowing Brisbane River
  • rate of 7,000 cubic meters a second
  • overwhelmed the dam, built in the late 1970s after devastating 1974 floods, and the water was released to prevent its collapse.
  • Andrew Kuper on 11 Apr 11
     
    What are the effects of the Australian Floods?Citation:"Australia floods threaten Queensland capital; 14 dead, dozens missing" http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/12/world/la-fg-australia-floods-20110112Summary: The city of Queensland has experienced some particularly bad flooding. The flood here has killed at least 14 people, with many more missing. Much of the flooding has come from a dam which was released to prevent its collapse. This damn was built to prevent flooding after Australia's last major flood in 1974. Questions: 1. Why didn't the dam work, was it not large enough? 2. How will the people rebuild after all this damage? 3. What all is being done to help those affected?
William Leys

Due to flooding, the Australian Coal Production Loss $ 8, 3 Billion | Business Area - 0 views

businessarea.org/n-loss-8-3-billion-271523.html

Australia Flooding

shared by William Leys on 10 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • SIDNEY – Damage caused by flooding in Australia some time ago resulted in the loss of coal production is estimated at $ 8, 3 billion.
  • s previously projected. Heavy floods hit parts of Queensland in January, causing significant damage, among which is the cessation of mining production and the cessation of transportation infrastructure.
  • “It is estimated the lost coal production ranges between 20-30 million tonnes,” said the Australian Treasury Department was quoted as saying by the AFP on Sunday (03/04/2011). Previously the government has indeed been estimated that the floods which covers an area of ​​the country of France and Germany will cut its coal production of approximately 15 million tons in the first quarter of March.
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  • In addition to main economic impacts due to these disasters is the disruption of mining and coal exports. Another thing that affects the agriculture in several countries. “Rising prices for crops and livestock, leaving farmers to further increase the expenditures and strive to increase their capital,” said the Australian Treasury. Besides these two effects, the flood that killed more than 30 people also have an impact on the tourism industry. Tourism Australia is facing some problems.
  • William Leys on 10 Apr 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding? Summary: Continuing problems with coal have impacted Australia more than anticipated Reflection: Since the coal mines still have stagnant water in them, the process of procuring coal has stayed difficult and over-costly. Forcing coal prices to rise for the Australian-Asian market. Questions: Why were the original lost tonnage estimates by the Australian Government so off? Shouldn't they have had a better picture of the amount lost?
Mark De Haan

The Future of Lebanon - 0 views

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Hizbullah Hezbollah Hizbollah Israel Lebanon

shared by Mark De Haan on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Hezbollah ended up in a full-scale war, in which it won some battlefield victories and popularity in the Arab and Muslim world but which devastated its Lebanese Shiite constituency and narrowed its tactical and political options.
  • srael, despite unleashing massive airpower on Hezbollah strongholds, failed to knock out the organization or even to stop its missile attacks, while the setbacks suffered by Israel's ground invasion had the effect of puncturing the aura of invincibility long projected by the Israel Defense Forces.
  • When Israeli forces withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah claimed a historic victory. At the time, many argued that it was time for Hezbollah to give up its arms and cede its territory to the Lebanese army.
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  • Tehran reaped some benefit from Hezbollah's increased popularity and perhaps can point to the organization's robust performance as a warning to those considering military action against Iran, but this war wasted much of the deterrent power that it had vested in Hezbollah for its own hour of need
  • But instead, Hezbollah managed to put itself at the center of Lebanese politics, leading an anti-American coalition against the anti-Syrian March 14 coalition.
  • As the guns fell silent and the dust began to settle onto a scene of extensive devastation, many Lebanese were initially preoccupied with the debate about who had "won" or "lost" the war. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, rushed to declare a "divine victory": the war had not ended with triumph for Israel (as all other Arab- Israeli wars have)
  • Hezbollah fighters had routed Israeli armored columns and elite brigades, and Hezbollah had continued to launch missiles and inflict heavy losses on Israeli troops throughout the war.
  • Hezbollah's victory was trumpeted throughout the Arab and Muslim world.
  • But it also became clear that Lebanon, and particularly the Shiite areas in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, had paid an enormous human and economic price. Some 1,200 civilians (almost a third of them children) died, 4,000 were wounded, and a million were displaced. Some 130,000 housing units, thousands of small businesses, hundreds of roads, 300 factories, 80 bridges, dozens of schools and hospitals, and the country's electricity network were destroyed or damaged. This was the costliest Arab-Israeli war in Lebanon's history - - more devastating even than Israel's 1982 invasion. Economic losses were initially estimated at around $7 billion, or 30 percent of GDP. For a country still paying for a decade of laborious reconstruction and with a debt burden equal to 180 percent of GDP, the war dealt a staggering blow.
  • Mark De Haan on 17 Feb 11
     
    The Future of Lebanon Foreign Affairs - Paul Salem Salem, Paul. "The Future of Lebanon." Foreign Affairs 85.6 (2006): 13. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: This article talks about what the future holds for Lebanon and Hezbollah after the 34 Day War between Hezbollah and Israel. After all the fighting had ceased, Hezbollah was quick to claim themselves victorious. They were able to break Israli amored columns and Israel's elite brigades.  Reflection: Although Hezbollah has often been a nuisance to Israel, as well as a constant pain to the IDF and UN forces attempting to make peace, what is often lost in all this is the impact that Hezbollah has had on Lebanon. The 34 Day War between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 was the cause of death for 1,200 civilian, the displacement of a million, and destruction of 130,000 housing units. Economic losses were estimated at $7 billion. Hezbollah, through their resistance toward Israel, has not only been a pain to Israel, but also to Lebanon, to some extent. Questions: 1. Has Hezbollah gained strength or have they weakened since the 34 Day War? 2. Has Lebanon recovered from the disaster of this war? 3. Have there been any other large exchanges of warfare between Hezbollah and Israel since this incident?
Mallory Huizenga

"Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index" - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8498456.stm

BBC

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11 - Cached
  • It was also the first developing country to state its aim of being carbon neutral (by 2021), in part through the mass planting of trees.
  • more than half its territory is now covered in trees, compared to 20% in the 1980s.
  • Costa Rica was placed third out of 163 countries, up from fifth two years ago.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • "But basically the country does care about the environment. Other governments shove it down towards the bottom of their priorities."
  • The latest version of the Happy Planet Index compiled by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), placed Costa Rica on top of every country in the world. It makes an explicit link between happiness and the environment, and combines three key variables - what people say about their life satisfaction, their longevity and their ecological footprint.
  • Well over 90% of its energy supply comes from renewable sources.
  • "Every time I construct any new building, I have to get a certificate from the national environment office that I am not damaging the environment," says Juan Francisco Montealegre, who owns a construction company.
  • "I am very aware of my carbon footprint," says Pilar Saborio, Costa Rica's ambassador to the UK.
  • a range of green initiatives, including "ecological sanctuaries" where congregations learn to grow crops, including medicinal plants, in an environmentally sound way.
  • says Mr Ulate. "Now I have a simpler, less materialistic life, more in tune with nature."
  • He points out that Costa Ricans often answer the question 'How are you?' with the phrase "pura vida". It literally translates as "pure life" but roughly means "cool" or "everything's fine".
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11
       
      Research Journal #1 continued...  Reflection: I found this article to be extremely helpful as I begin my research on Costa Rica. It gives a great summary of where Costa Rica stands as a country. I didn't know that Costa Rica scored so high on the "Happy Planet Index". This article surprised me on a number of levels regarding the life in Costa Rica. I never knew that they were and are trying so hard to lower their carbon footprint. I believe that living a "green" lifestyle is important, and when the whole country is striving for the same goal it makes it easier for the individual to strive as well. I think what Costa Rica is doing is awesome! They are setting a great example for other countries. Costa Rica is focusing on living a "simpler, less materialistic life, [and] more in tune with nature" lifestyle.  Questions: 1) What does the daily life of a Costa Rican look like? 2) How is Costa Rica enforcing ecological conservation? 3) What happens if Costa Rican don't follow the "green" rules? 4) In terms of my research question I am wondering how I can better and fine tune it. 5) For our exhibit I think we are going to have to properly include how Costa Rica is benefitting from their conservation.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Journal #1: Article One Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: BBC News: "Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index" by James Painter Citation: Painter, James. ""Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index"." Costa Rica. BBC, 7 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. . Summary: This articles focuses on Costa Rica's happiness level, and how it directly corresponds to its "go green" attitude. The article is broken down into three sections: Costa Rica- green and happy, Open cast mining, and Pura vida. The section Costa Rica- green and happy talks about how Costa Rica is the first developing country working towards being carbon neutral, and how the country has improved ecological. It states that "the country does care about the environment". The end of this section leads into the next section talking about Costa Rica's "happy" lifestyle. In the section open cast mining the author talks about the people of Costa Rica and what they are doing to keep their country "green". The population works hard to make sure their carbon footprint is as small as possible. New buildings that are constructed must be certified by the national environment office. The people of Costa Rica are coming together to find ways to support and healthy and happy planet. The last section of the article is Pura vida. This section talks about the benefit of living a "green" lifestyle: how both the population and land are benefitting. Costa Rica knows it isn't perfect, but they are striving to create a country that helps the greater good of our plant. Reflection & Questions on Sticky Note (Part of Annotations)
Troy Rietsma

Nigeria fights oil bandits - UPI.com - 0 views

www.upi.com/...UPI-69641299590981

Libya Oil Illegal Refineries Nigeria

shared by Troy Rietsma on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Nigerian forces destroyed what they believed were illegal oil refineries in the Niger Delta area as part of an effort to curb vandalism, a spokesman said. The illegal refineries were shoddy facilities where operators were distilling crude oil to sell on the black market.
  • soldiers destroyed 500 illegal refineries in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
  • "The operators, we believe, were those that break into the vast network of pipelines in the Niger Delta to steal crude oil which they refine, and sometimes they damage wellheads in the process," he was quoted as saying.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • thieves have cost Nigeria an average of around 100,000 ba
  • rrels of crude oil per day.
  • Financial analysts, meanwhile, said that Nigeria is benefiting from the rising price of crude oil.
  • Oil prices are at two-year highs in part because of the civil war raging in Libya, Africa's top oil producer.
  • Officials at the Nigerian Financial Derivatives Co. told Nigerian newspaper Next that tensions in the Middle East were a "blessing" for Nigeria.
  • Troy Rietsma on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: What effect does the Nigerian Blood Oil have on the people there? "Nigeria fights oil bandits." UPI.com. UPI, 8 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . 1. Summary The Nigerian government sent troops out to destroy illegal oil refineries. Nigerian security forces spokesman Timothy Antigha said that soldiers destroyed roughly 500 refineries. Authorities believe that those who were in charge of these illegal refineries were tapping in to and stealing from the pipelines of the Niger Delta. An estimated 100,000 barrels of crude oil was being stolen every day. 2. Reflection At first I wondered why Nigerian authorities would want to destroy oil refineries. With rising oil prices and the crisis in Libya, you would think that the Nigerians would want to get their hands on any oil they could. But I read on and saw that the oil was being stolen from the main lines and sold on the black market. I think Nigeria did the right thing, and hopefully this well help the whole oil conflict. 3. Questions:  Will destroying these illegal refineries help or hurt the Nigerian people? and who will it help or hurt? Will destroying these refineries help Nigeria's legal production, thus helping the Libya crisis? According to financial analysts, Nigeria is benefiting from rising oil prices. How is Nigeria benefiting from it?
Brielle DeFrell

Nigeria and Oil - Global Issues - 0 views

www.globalissues.org/...nigeria-and-oil

oil nigeria effects

shared by Brielle DeFrell on 11 Mar 11 - Cached
  • There is a symbiotic relationship between the military dictatorship and the multinational companies who grease the palms of those who rule….They are assassins in foreign lands. They drill and they kill in Nigeria.
  • Human Rights Activist Oronto Douglas
  • Niger Delta in Nigeria has been the attention of environmentalists, human rights activists and fair trade advocates around the world. The trial and hanging of environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other members of the Ogoni ethnic minority made world-wide attention. So too did the non-violent protests of the Og
  • ...24 more annotations...
  • oni people
  • Ogoni, Ijaw and other people in the Niger Delta, those who have been worse affected for decades have been trying to stand up for themselves, their environment and their basic human and economic rights.
  • divide communities by paying off some members to disrupt non-violent protests.
  • threaten the livelihood of neighboring local communities. Due to the many forms of oil-generated environmental pollution evident throughout the region, farming and fishing have become impossible or extremely difficult in oil-affected areas, and even drinking water has become scarce. Malnourishment and disease appear common.
  • loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and irresponsible fathering by expatriate oil workers.
  • Organized protest and activism by affected communities regularly meet with military repression, sometimes ending in the loss of life.
  • While the story told to consumers of Nigerian crude in the United States and the European Union—via ad campaigns and other public relations efforts—is that oil companies are a positive force in Nigeria, providing much needed economic development resources, the reality that confronted our delegation was quite the opposite
  • oil company operating in the Niger Delta employing inadequate environmental standards, public health standards, human rights standards, and relations with affected communities.
  • Far from being a positive force, these oil companies act as a destabilizing force, pitting one community against another, and acting as a catalyst—together with the military with whom they work closely—to some of the violence racking the region today.
  • Oil For Nothing: Multinational Corporations, Environmental Destruction, Death and Impunity in the Niger Delta, Essential Action and Global Exchange, January 25, 2000
  • The military have been accused of thousands of killings, house/village burnings, intimidating people, torture and so on.
  • in the killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa to Chevron-marked helicopters carrying Nigerian military that opened fire upon protestors,
  • oil companies have neglected the surrounding environment and health of the local communities
  • oil spills that are not cleaned up, blatant dumping of industrial waste and promises of development projects which are not followed through, have all added to the increasing environmental and health problems.
  • corruption and religious tensions between Muslims and Christians
  • into 2004
  • Shell companies have worsened fighting in the Niger Delta through payments for land use, environmental damage, corruption of company employees and reliance on Nigerian security forces.
  • Shell companies and their staff creates, feeds into, or exacerbates conflict.
  • Voilence in the Niger Delta kills some 1000 people each year,
  • With over 50 years of presence in Nigeria, it is reasonable to say that the Shell companies in Nigeria have become an integral part of the Niger Delta conflict
  • Human Rights Watch’s 2010 report. They note although free speech and independent media remain robust and there have been some anti-corruption efforts. However, this is overshadowed by religious and inter-communal violence that has seen Muslims and Christians killing each other and by Nigeria’s political leaders’ “near-total impunity for massive corruption and sponsoring political violence”.
  • latest escalation of violence began in early 2006, hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between rival armed groups vying for illicit patronage doled out by corrupt politicians, or between militants and government security forces. Armed gangs have carried out numerous attacks on oil facilities and kidnapped more than 500 oil workers and ordinary Nigerians for ransom during this period
  • June 2009, followed a major military offensive in May against militants in the creeks of Delta State, which left scores dead and thousands of residents displaced.
  • — Nigeria, World Report 2010, Human Rights Watch
  • Brielle DeFrell on 11 Mar 11
     
    Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  Shah, Anup. "Nigeria and Oil." Global Issues, Updated: 10 Jun. 2010. Accessed: 10 Mar. 2011. Reflection: The more I research the problem the more I realize how big of a problem this really is. There are so many environmental issues and protests that have come with drilling in Nigeria.  Summary: The presence of oil companies have hurt many of the communities on the Niger Delta in Nigeria including environmental pollution, farming and fishing difficulties because of oil spills, drinking water is getting scarcer and scarcer, and malnourishment and disease is showing up more and more. Not only is it bring environmental issues, but economic and societal one too including loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and bad fathering by oil company workers.Many people have lost their lives to the violence that goes on with both violent protests and non-violent ones. The government is corrupt and there are religious tensions going on between Muslims and Christians in the midst.  Questions:  *What would be best? To stay and get oil or to get out to stop the violence? *Is there a way to stop the violence? And should we take the step in doing so even though it may hurt us? *How many oil spills have happened in Nigeria?
Troy Rietsma

Cable: Leaders, military behind Nigeria oil thefts - World news - Africa - msnbc.com - 0 views

www.msnbc.msn.com/42531798

oil thieves politicians leaders

shared by Troy Rietsma on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Politicians and military leaders — not militants — are responsible for the majority of oil thefts in Nigeria's crude-rich southern delta, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable quoting a Nigerian official and released by WikiLeaks.
  • A member of a government panel on troubles in nation's Niger Delta implicated Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, a general whose brother became president, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as being the biggest forces behind the thefts, the cable claims
  • Those thefts also fuel arms sales to the restive region while causing environmental damage and cutting production in a nation crucial to U.S. oil supplies.
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  • The diplomatic cable quotes Uranta as blaming "no more than 15 percent" of oil thefts on militants operating in the delta, a tropical maze of creeks and waterways about the size of South Carolina. Instead, politicians, retired admirals and generals and others in the country's elite profit from the thefts. Typically, thieves solder or cut into oil pipelines running through the mangrove swamps of the delta. Some refine the crude into kerosene or diesel in crude refineries, while other oil sails out to foreign ports for sale.
  • The large-scale theft, compounded by anger over unceasing poverty and pollution in the delta despite 50 years of oil production, led to an uprising of militants in the region beginning in 2006. Military-grade weapons funneled into the region, turning gunrunners into militant leaders who espoused political ideas — but kept their eyes on the profits from stolen oil.
  • Troy Rietsma on 14 Apr 11
     
    Research Question: What effect does the competition of oil have on the people of Nigeria? 1. Source: Gambrell, Jon. "Leaders, military behind Nigeria oil thefts." MSNBC.com. MSN, 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 2. Summary: The oil bandits that I mentioned in an earlier post have an unsuspected force behind them. That force is allegedly the politicians and military leaders who lead the country. One of them was Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, a general whose brother became president.They allegedly supported the thieves who cut production of oil that is crucial to our own supplies. 3. Reaction I think this article is really going to give us a lead on our research question. Although we don't see exactly why these leaders would do this so clearly, we do see the corruption around the oil. It's hard to believe that leaders would do this; we take it for granted that although our leaders aren't perfect, we still have relatively loyal people leading our country. 4. Questions: How have the people of the country reacted? Are the people going to be pressed with charges? What kind of actions will follow such a find?
lane rottschafer

Unknown disease wipes out half of Afghan opium crop. - 0 views

AcademicOneFile

Opium damaged crop

shared by lane rottschafer on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • lane rottschafer on 14 Apr 11
     
    http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(K0,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,22)opium+afghanistan+crop:And:FQE%3D(TX,None,23)opium+afghanistan++crop$&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T004&prodId=AONE&searchId=R7&currentPosition=2&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&docId=CJ236030044&docType=IAC What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan ? Summary: in 2010 there was a huge dieses that swept over around 50 percent of all the poppy plants. They didn't know exactly what was causing it, they were wanting to blame British and U.S troops, but there was no way to prove anything. They thought it could be bugs but no way of knowing for sure. Reflection: I think that its interesting that there is a HUGE brake out with the plants and around 50% of them were killed and no one knows how?? That seems incredible to me that no one would no how to figure out what happened to them? Questions: 1) Why doesn't anyone know what happened? 2) Is there a reason that we don't know, why this happened? 3) How did this effect the sales? 4) How was this effected money wise? Citation: What are the effects of opium sales on Afghanistan
ni iang

Eco-Luxury - 0 views

www.time.com/...0,9171,995191-1,00.html

What are the effects of ecological conservation in Costa Rica.

shared by ni iang on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Costa Rica is coming of age--and grappling with new challenges to the environment that has fueled its growth. As word about its staggering natural beauty has slipped out, the country has become one of the world's leading eco-destinations, attracting a million visitors a year
  • With this boom, upscale resorts are establishing beachheads up and down the Pacific Coast, offering championship golf courses, world-class restaurants and plenty of spas. But as hotels and other tourism businesses increasingly set up shop in remote and pristine areas, the government--which lacks the resources for effective enforcement--is facing issues such as deforestation and waste disposal.
  • They have begun to work on ways to protect the environment. The newly opened Four Seasons Resort fourseasons.com/costarica on the Papagayo Peninsula sacrifices nothing in the way of luxury.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • In a similar nod to the eco-ethic, Hacienda Pinilla haciendapinilla.com) a 4,500-acre resort and residential community on the Nicoya Peninsula, will maintain extensive tracts of its terrain undeveloped.
  • There are tennis courts, pools and a golf course. The hotel has made concessions to the environment too: 70% of its land area will remain in its natural state, and the golf course uses a type of grass that can be irrigated with a 50% ocean-water mix, conserving valuable freshwater.
  • Hidden in the heart of cattle country--Costa Rica's Wild West--this tropical dry forest is inhabited by dense populations of howler monkeys, iguanas and birds
  • Smaller boutique hotels, such as El Remanso elremanso.com on the Pacific Coast, have found ways to be environmentally conscious from the ground up. Fallen wood was used to build El Remanso's roomy cabins, so no rare hardwood trees were logged. Each unit is surrounded by a moat of moving water that keeps ants out of the rooms, eliminating the need for pesticides.
  • ni iang on 14 Apr 11
     
    Miranda, Carolina A. "Eco-Luxury." Time 20 Sept. 2004: 5 pars. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summery  This article talks about that some of the Hotel in Costa Rica are trying to help the environment by doing little thing that will help the environment.  Costa Rica has  been grappling with new challenges to their environment and it has growen well, all the natural beauty has attracted  millions of visitors.  But hotels and businesses increase their businesses into untouched areas.   New hotel in Costa Rica called the Four Seasons Resort has supported the environment by planting grass that can live on 50% of ocean water and 70% of the land will  remain in its natural state.  Another hotel Hacienda Pinilla also try to help environment.  The 4500 acre resort which is in the untouched area of the  Nicoya Peninsula, will maintain main areas of undeveloped land.  El Remanso hotel on the Pacific Coast have used fallen wood to build their cabins.  And also another association for the conservation of the Mono Titi, nonprofit, said that the industries need to prevent further environmental damage.  This organization support 28 businesses that work for conservation and reforestation programs.    
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