tagged w/ College_Current
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Activists made a hole in Israel's West Bank wall for the second time in less than a week today in a demonstration to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Their faces masked, the activists tethered a two-metre wide section of the cement barrier to a truck which then pulled it over. The crowd of around 50, which had gathered at a section of the barrier near an Israeli checkpoint at Qalandiya, cheered as the six-metre high section fell.
Israeli troops fired tear gas at the crowd, some of whom threw stones over the wall. Several demonstrators passed through the hole they had made, hoisting a Palestinian flag and setting ablaze tyres on the other side.
The panels of the walls in Israel's separation barrier are cast in the same inverted T-shape as the wall constructed through Berlin by communist East Germany.Activists made a hole in Israel's West Bank wall for the second time in less than a... more
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jkw077
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11 days ago
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Professor John Beddington, the UK's chief scientist, would not be drawn on whether the Home Secretary was wrong to sack Professor David Nutt.
David Nutt was chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
He was fired after using a lecture to say cannabis was less harmful than alcohol and tobacco.
Asked whether he agreed with Professor Nutt's view that cannabis was less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol, Professor Beddington replied: "I think the scientific evidence is absolutely clear cut. I would agree with it."Professor John Beddington, the UK's chief scientist, would not be drawn on whether the... more
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jkw077
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17 days ago
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In the season premiere of Vanguard, correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to South Florida, the "Colombia of prescription drugs", to expose a bustling pill pipeline that stretches from the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale to the rolling hills of Appalachia. "The OxyContin Express" features intimate access with pill addicts, prisoners and law enforcement as each struggles with a growing national epidemic.
***Vanguard is Current TV's original documentary series. Led by correspondents Laura Ling, Mariana van Zeller, Christof Putzel, Adam Yamaguchi and Kaj Larsen, Vanguard features enterprising reports from around the globe. It airs every Wednesday at 10pm on Current TV. And you can view all Vanguard stories by visiting current.com/vanguard.***In the season premiere of Vanguard, correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to South... more
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Do you have a message or story about the team or Coach K that you'd like to share?
Do it here: http://countdowntocraziness.com/Do you have a message or story about the team or Coach K that you'd like to share?... more
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Remnants of a former building and artifacts dating back more than 200 years have been uncovered beneath the foundations of New College on the University of Georgia’s North Campus, allowing a glimpse into a long-lost chapter of UGA history. Workers unearthed the finds in the midst of a $3 million renovation to update the building and restore its look to an approximation of what it looked like when it was built in 1822.
Among the other artifacts found are a handmade spoon, wrought iron nails, blown-glass bottles, glazed cookware and an instrument that resembles a modern fire poker. The crew also found a pottery bowl that dates from Georgia’s late prehistoric Lamar period (1350-1600 A.D.) But the finds don’t end there.
Being an Archeology Major here at UGA is awesome right now. We spend class time work'n the dirt.Remnants of a former building and artifacts dating back more than 200 years have been... more
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It's been a strange summer around here. We had the wettest, coldest June in memory. July and August weren't much better, and we're still waiting for our first official heat wave. But if you think this tells you anything about global warming, you're looking out the wrong window.
Instead, turn your gaze northward. Climate change is most visible at the extremes, the top and bottom of the earth. And the people who watch the poles most closely are more worried than ever.
That would be the consortium of scientists known as International Polar Year. Its latest findings indicate that some of the dire predictions of climate scientists were off - in the wrong direction. Things are trending worse than the "worst case scenarios" envisioned in the most recent reports of the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The melting of Arctic sea ice has been evident for years in NASA satellite photos and eyewitness accounts. CIA photos, classified under the Bush administration but declassified under President Obama, are even more dramatic, showing slushy ice - or no ice at all - in areas frozen solid not long ago.
The IPY repeated the measurements taken by an Arctic expedition in 1893, finding that the ice cap, which was typically 12 feet thick a century ago, is now between one and three feet thick. Summer sea ice could disappear completely by 2020, researchers say.
That's ahead of the models in the IPCC's 2007 report, mostly because the IPCC assumed the world would have begun to slow the growth of carbon dioxide emissions. No such luck.
There's more bad news coming out of Greenland, where the IPCC low-balled estimates of glacial melting. New, more sophisticated measurements show Greenland is now losing 52 cubic miles of ice every year. Since Greenland is a land mass with ice on top, its melting glaciers cause sea levels to rise, unlike the floating Arctic ice. While the IPCC estimated sea levels would rise 16 inches this century, Sharon Begley reports in Newsweek that IPY scientists now project a rise of at least 39 inches.
Even more disturbing is the news on Arctic permafrost, which is rapidly melting. As it melts, the permafrost releases carbon into the atmosphere, making global warming worse. New calculations project that, at its peak, the melting will put between 1 billion and 2 billion tons a year into the atmosphere, Begley reports - or up to six times as much carbon as generated each year by American cars and light trucks.
Another recalculation triples the estimate of CO2 locked in the permafrost: Experts now say there is two times as much carbon in the permafrost as is currently in the atmosphere.
These new findings are a reminder that climate change is a moving target, that scientists can get things wrong, and that projections can be off - on either the good side or the bad side. While many have hoped the doom and gloom projections would prove exaggerations, new data shows they were over-optimistic.
end of excerptIt's been a strange summer around here. We had the wettest, coldest June in memory.... more
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A recent study by the University of California finds the recent increase of high fructose corn syrup to be the cause for the obesity epidemic in the western world.A recent study by the University of California finds the recent increase of high... more
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A rural town in Australia has voted overwhelmingly to ban the sale of bottled water over concerns about its environmental impact.
Campaigners say Bundanoon, in New South Wales, may be the first community in the world to have such a ban.
They say huge amounts of resources are used to extract, package and transport bottled water.
The discarded plastic bottles then end up as litter or go into landfill sites, the "Bundy on Tap" campaign says.
More than 350 residents turned out to vote at the public meeting in the town hall.
Only one resident voted against the ban, along with a representative from the bottled water industry, ABC news reported.
The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says locals have promised not to set upon visitors if they ignore the ban, but they will be encouraged to fill a reusable container from water fountains in the main street.
The reusable bottles will bear the slogan "Bundy on Tap".
Campaigner John Dee said local opinion had been incensed when a drinks company announced plans to tap an underground reservoir in the town.A rural town in Australia has voted overwhelmingly to ban the sale of bottled water... more
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jkw077
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5 months ago
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An international team of scientists warns that accelerating losses of seagrasses across the globe threaten the immediate health and long-term sustainability of coastal ecosystems. The team has compiled and analyzed the first comprehensive global assessment of seagrass observations and found that 58 percent of world's seagrass meadows are currently declining.
The assessment, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows an acceleration of annual seagrass loss from less than 1 percent per year before 1940 to 7 percent per year since 1990. Based on more than 215 studies and 1,800 observations dating back to 1879, the assessment shows that seagrasses are disappearing at rates similar to coral reefs and tropical rainforests.
The team estimates that seagrasses have been disappearing at the rate of 110 square-kilometers (42.4 square-miles) per year since 1980 and cites two primary causes for the decline: direct impacts from coastal development and dredging activities, and indirect impacts of declining water quality.
"A recurring case of 'coastal syndrome' is causing the loss of seagrasses worldwide," said co-author Dr. William Dennison of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "The combination of growing urban centers, artificially hardened shorelines and declining natural resources has pushed coastal ecosystems out of balance. Globally, we lose a seagrass meadow the size of a soccer field every thirty minutes."
"While the loss of seagrasses in coastal ecosystems is daunting, the rate of this loss is even more so," said co-author Dr. Robert Orth of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science of the College of William and Mary. "With the loss of each meadow, we also lose the ecosystem services they provide to the fish and shellfish relying on these areas for nursery habitat. The consequences of continuing losses also extend far beyond the areas where seagrasses grow, as they export energy in the form of biomass and animals to other ecosystems including marshes and coral reefs."
"With 45 percent of the world's population living on the 5 percent of land adjacent to the coast, pressures on remaining coastal seagrass meadows are extremely intense," said co-author Dr. Tim Carruthers of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "As more and more people move to coastal areas, conditions only get tougher for seagrass meadows that remain."An international team of scientists warns that accelerating losses of seagrasses... more
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jkw077
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5 months ago
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The two main global newspaper industry trade bodies, the World Association of Newspapers and Ifra, have confirmed their merger.
From July 1 the two organisations will come together as World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. The Ifra board formally approved the deal yesterday. The WAN board had approved the merger ealier this month.
The combined new organisation will represent more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries.The two main global newspaper industry trade bodies, the World Association of... more
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jkw077
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5 months ago
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Technological advancements in the agricultural industry have sprung forth the start of the life patent revolution. "The Future of Food" is one of many in depth documentaries that discuss the ramifications, and the alarming dangers, of genetically modified food in the public food supply.Technological advancements in the agricultural industry have sprung forth the start of... more
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jkw077
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5 months ago
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Athletes have steroids, depressives have “happy-pills”, and those who wish to do it all, and do it fast, have Adderall.
A person with a perfectly normal, functioning frontal cortex and dopamine levels will experience a heightened sense of motivation, focus, and concentration. Presumably this is the perfect mood to pull all-nighters, read hundreds of pages at a time, and write pages and pages of that final paper.
The general consensus is that stimulant amphetamines like Adderall do indeed increase performance in those that do and do not have properly diagnosed ADHD. The promise of a better GPA with less effort is promise enough for college students across the board to obtain Adderall by any means necessary. Many students admit to actually seeing doctors and purposefully exaggerating symptoms of ADHD to acquire medication. Others simply pop a generously donated pill from their pals. The danger lies in the possibility of dependence and the rarely considered effect of the drug on those that have preexisting medical problems that can deteriorate with prolonged use.
Since many students assert that they use Adderall only for studying for large tests and completing important assignments, the risk of dependency is high. “I don’t think I’m addicted…..I just can’t imagine not taking it,” says student Susan. Says student Steve: “I attend a major university….I take two pills when I have a ton of work to do….Without Adderall I failed one class….I began to take Adderall again and saw a huge improvement.” The long term effects of using Adderall in this manner are relatively unknown, however it is well known that those that use amphetamines in larger doses by snorting or inhaling can very well be diagnosed with addiction.
Follow link for more information.Athletes have steroids, depressives have “happy-pills”, and those who wish to do... more
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Canada is investigating whether Inuit communities may be particularly badly hit by swine flu, health officials say.
The World Health Organization thinks there are more cases than expected among young people in the aboriginal population living in northern Canada.
Recent days have seen a spike in H1N1 flu among the Inuit and the country's isolated indigenous communities.
The swine flu virus can have more serious effects on people living in poverty, the WHO says.
Of fewer than 100 people infected in Nunavut, the vast Arctic homeland of Inuits, 10 were admitted to hospital.
In Manitoba province, 16 of the 24 people in intensive care because of swine flu are from native communities.Canada is investigating whether Inuit communities may be particularly badly hit by... more
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jkw077
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5 months ago
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Money management giant BlackRock Inc. late Thursday agreed to buy Barclays Global Investors -- including the iShares exchange-traded funds -- creating the world’s biggest asset manager.
The deal would boost BlackRock’s assets to more than $2.7 trillion from $1.3 trillion, vaulting it well above its nearest rival, State Street Corp., which manages about $1.4 trillion.
The takeover is a potential coup for 56-year-old BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, a UCLA grad who founded the company in 1988. The New York firm is best known for its fixed-income funds, a business that puts it head-to-head with Newport Beach-based Pimco.
Larryfink With the purchase of San Francisco-based Barclays Global, which pioneered index-fund investing nearly 40 years ago, BlackRock would gain a much larger presence in the stock fund business, including via Barclays’ exchange-traded funds. Barclays' iShares unit is the industry leader in developing and managing popular stock and bond ETFs.Money management giant BlackRock Inc. late Thursday agreed to buy Barclays Global... more
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jkw077
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5 months ago
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Barcelona, Spain has one of the highest concentrations of Pakistani immigrants in Europe. This is a snapshot of this growing, dynamic, little-known community, revolving around the story of a Barcelona radio station set up by Pakistani immigrants.
Ultimately, it is a story of immigration, the struggle between the homeland's traditions and Western values, in a country itself just learning to respond to a rapidly increasing immigrant population.Barcelona, Spain has one of the highest concentrations of Pakistani immigrants in... more
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manal
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5 months ago
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The 60-year old Middle East conflict through the eyes of three Bay Area individuals - their struggle, guilt and attempt at reconciliation.The 60-year old Middle East conflict through the eyes of three Bay Area individuals -... more
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manal
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5 months ago
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The American Middle Class is shrinking. Why? College tuition at private schools have risen on average by about 250-300% over the last 15 years but are NOT factored into the cost of living index. Why? Corporate America is outsourcing high paying jobs Why? Real Estate Price increases are outpacing salary increases but are NOT factored into the cost of living index. Why? Americans need to go into debt to opay for their basic material needs. Why? Our dollar has lost 35% of its value since 2001. Why?The American Middle Class is shrinking. Why? College tuition at private schools have... more
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The water spouts from a broken pipe, forming a perfect circle before it is dispersed by the wind and falls on the breaking waves of the Mediterranean sea.
It looks like a fountain, but the pipe that runs from the town of Rafah to the sea by Gaza's border with Egypt contains raw sewage. It enters the sea by the Swedish Village, so-called because it was built by Swedish UN soldiers in the 1960s. In the overcrowded village it is impossible to escape the smell of sewage.
The discharge is one of at least a dozen which pollutes the sea off Gaza. The worst is Wadi Gaza, where a steady flow of raw sewage blackens the sea for kilometres. The currents in the eastern Mediterranean move northwards, bringing sand from the Nile delta and sewage traces from Gaza to the beaches of Israel.
Gaza's sewage problem is just one of several environmental issues which affect both Palestinians and Israelis. Friday 5 June was World Environment Day, and it is appropriate to take a moment to survey the environmental damage around us and ask what can be done to prevent it.
The river Jordan, which once nourished the Jordan valley and some of the world's oldest towns is a salty and polluted trickle. Before it was dammed, the river's flow was 20 times greater. Downstream, the Dead Sea recedes by a metre every year. In 20 years, it has lost a third of its surface area. One of the major sources of water flowing into the Dead Sea is the Kidron river or Wadi Nara, which brings raw sewage from Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Some Israeli beaches are regularly closed by environmental officials, mainly because of deficiencies in Israel's sewage network. However, one cannot discount the human waste which travels from the West Bank via rivers such as the Soreq, Lakhish, Hadera and Alexander. According to Israel's Ministry of Environment, 58 million cubic metres of untreated sewage is dumped in the West Bank by Palestinians and settlers each year. This goes into the ground, where it pollutes aquifers, and into streams which ultimately reach the sea.
The effect of global climate change on the Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is not yet clear. The region has suffered five years of drought and some forecasters estimate that temperatures will rise and rainfall will decrease. It will become much harder to make the desert bloom in such conditions.
Environmental issues affect everyone, yet here they are an unnecessary hostage of the conflict. It would take a small mental shift to remove environmental issues from the "pending peace process" tray and upgrade them to urgent. These problems will not go away or wait until the resumption of serious peace talks.
There are environmentalists on both sides of the Green Line who are committed to solving these problems but are frustrated by their colleagues in government who see environmental issues as minor in the grand scheme of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Expensive plans to avert disaster are being investigated and implemented. Israel is building a further three desalination plants in addition to the two it already has. A feasibility study is underway into transporting water from the Red Sea into the Dead Sea, via pumps, desalination plants and electricity-generating turbines. Both schemes rely on using huge amounts of energy to achieve their aims, which may affect global warming.
But it is the simple solutions that appear to be the most difficult, such as supplying water to communities and providing basic sewage treatment. In 1995 the Joint Water Committee was set up to manage water resources in the occupied Palestinian territory as part of the Oslo accords. It was an interim committee which was meant to operate by consensus. Fourteen years later, the committee does not seem temporary and consensus appears to have broken down. As a result, water networks and sewage treatment plants in the West Bank have not been built.
end of excerptThe water spouts from a broken pipe, forming a perfect circle before it is dispersed... more
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The breeding population of bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean has collapsed, in what may come to be seen as one of the world’s most spectacular ecological disasters, according to an independent report.
The destruction of stocks of one of the world’s most expensive fish, already recognised as being as endangered as the giant panda, effectively took place in 2007, more than twice the legal catch was taken by Mediterranean fishermen under the eyes of EU and UN-recognised officials, according to the report.
Mr Mielgo is a tuna farmer turned whistle-blower. The report by his consultancy, Advanced Tuna Ranching Technologies, goes even further than trends presented earlier this year by WWF using official figures which showed that the population of breeding tuna in 2007 was only a quarter of that 50 years ago.
According to WWF’s analysis, the bluefin breeding population will disappear by 2012 under the current fishing regime. It called for the immediate closure of the fishery.
Mr Mielgo’s report says the age-profile of tunas on the Japanese market “is consistent with the hypothesis of an on-going collapse of the breeding population of this stock.”
He added: “It’s not that I am a pessimist. There is no way this population is going to pick up. Again, I hope I am wrong. The fish are not there.”
Dr Sergi Tudela, head of fisheries for the Mediterranean, said: “Our position in April, based on ICCAT data, is that the spawning stock will have been wiped out by 2012.
“This new data is a further indication of what we said then, which is that the spawners are disappearing. The reproducing stock is in serious trouble. This shows the bluefin is in dire straits.”The breeding population of bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean... more
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jkw077
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6 months ago
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The oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park are disappearing.
Climate change appears to be a major cause of the loss.
The revelation comes from an analysis of data collected over 60 years by forest ecologists.
They say one worrying aspect of the decline is that it is happening within one of most protected forests within the US, suggesting that even more large trees may be dying off elsewhere.
James Lutz and Jerry Franklin of the University of Washington, Seattle, US and Jan van Wagtendonk of the Yosemite Field Station of the US Geological Survey, based in El Portal, California collated data on tree growth within the park gathered from the 1930s onwards.
Their key finding is that the density of large diameter trees has fallen by 24% between the 1930s and 1990s, within all types of forest.
"These large, old trees have lived centuries and experienced many dry and wet periods," says Lutz. "So it is quite a surprise that recent conditions are such that these long-term survivors have been affected."The oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park... more
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jkw077
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6 months ago
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