Dublin - Earthworms provide services to Ireland worth over €700-million (about R829-million) a year, according to a government-commissioned study on Monday. The environment ministry's 197-page report, Benefits and Costs of Biodiversity in Ireland, investigates the social and economic aspects of biodiversity in the country. "By drawing a comparison between the value of ecosystem services provided by biodiversity and the cost of implementing biodiversity protection policies, the authors established a marginal value of biodiversity to Ireland or at least €2,6-billion a year," said Environment Minister John Gormley. "The report has estimated that the value of the humble earthworm to Ireland to be in the region of €700-million per annum for the services it provides in removing dead matter and releasing nutrients back to the soil." Ireland has a national herd of about seven million cattle and the report says worms perform a "valuable function" in dung burial in a situation where a cow can produce over nine tonnes of waste per year.
For half a century, Germany was divided by an internal border, running between democratic West Germany and communist East Germany. Now, 18 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the nature that found refuge in no-man's-land may finally be given official protection. A stretch of the Green Belt that divides Germany and provides a haven for wildlife. The "inner German border," which separated East and West Germany, stretched 1,400 kilometers (879 miles) from the Baltic Sea down to the Czech Republic. It was covered in barbed wire, surrounded by mines and booby trapped with automatic spring guns, while soldiers patrolled the barrier intent on preventing any East German citizens escaping to the West. At the same time, this strange border developed a completely different function: It became a haven for wildlife. The no-man's-land that emerged, ranging from 60 to 200 meters wide, provided the ideal conditions for the flourishing of flora and fauna. Up to 600 endangered species, including the black stork and the lady's slipper orchid, thrived in this unusual terrain. Then the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Germany was reunited. There were immediate attempts to jump in and fill the void with buildings, streets and farmland. Motorways and train tracks were even laid in some places. But Germany's environmentalists soon took action. They campaigned to protect the area, known as the Green Belt. It now forms part of a European Green Belt winding its way along the route of the former Iron Curtain from the north of Finland down to the Adriatic Sea.
For half a century, Germany was divided by an internal border, running between democratic West Germany and communist East Germany. Now, 18 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the nature that found refuge in no-man's-land may finally be given official protection.
A stretch of the Green Belt that divides Germany and provides a haven for wildlife. The "inner German border," which separated East and West Germany, stretched 1,400 kilometers (879 miles) from the Baltic Sea down to the Czech Republic. It was covered in barbed wire, surrounded by mines and booby trapped with automatic spring guns, while soldiers patrolled the barrier intent on preventing any East German citizens escaping to the West.
At the same time, this strange border developed a completely different function: It became a haven for wildlife. The no-man's-land that emerged, ranging from 60 to 200 meters wide, provided the ideal conditions for the flourishing of flora and fauna. Up to 600 endangered species, including the black stork and the lady's slipper orchid, thrived in this unusual terrain.
Then the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Germany was reunited. There were immediate attempts to jump in and fill the void with buildings, streets and farmland. Motorways and train tracks were even laid in some places. But Germany's environmentalists soon took action. They campaigned to protect the area, known as the Green Belt. It now forms part of a European Green Belt winding its way along the route of the former Iron Curtain from the north of Finland down to the Adriatic Sea.
BARCELONA, Spain: Spain's worst drought in decades forced the proud city of Barcelona to start shipping in drinking water Tuesday, an unprecedented step that business leaders bemoan as a public relations nightmare for one of Europe's top tourist destinations. A Panamanian-flagged tanker loaded with water docked in Spain's second-largest city, launching a mission by an emergency, six-vessel flotilla scheduled to operate for at least three months. Tuesday's scene was humbling for Catalonia, the capital of which is Barcelona, with more than 100 journalists crowded at the dock to record the water delivery. The region likes to say it stands out from the rest of Spain for its efficiency and economic might. But it has been among the regions hardest hit by Spain's worst springtime drought since record-keeping began 60 years ago.
BARCELONA, Spain: Spain's worst drought in decades forced the proud city of Barcelona to start shipping in drinking water Tuesday, an unprecedented step that business leaders bemoan as a public relations nightmare for one of Europe's top tourist destinations.
A Panamanian-flagged tanker loaded with water docked in Spain's second-largest city, launching a mission by an emergency, six-vessel flotilla scheduled to operate for at least three months.
Tuesday's scene was humbling for Catalonia, the capital of which is Barcelona, with more than 100 journalists crowded at the dock to record the water delivery.
The region likes to say it stands out from the rest of Spain for its efficiency and economic might. But it has been among the regions hardest hit by Spain's worst springtime drought since record-keeping began 60 years ago.
Spain's worst drought in decades forced the proud city of Barcelona to start shipping in drinking water Tuesday, an unprecedented step that business leaders bemoan as a public relations nightmare for one of Europe's top tourist destinations.
France has long battled against the Anglophone cultural invasion and now it has thrown down a virtual gauntlet. Larousse, the French encyclopaedia created more than 150 years ago, is launching its own - it would say improved - version of Wikipedia. Its first, free-access, online encyclopaedia will have the same contributor function but, to try to surmount the inherent problem of unreliability of articles, which can be modified by anyone at any time, Larousse has introduced some constraints. Users who want to contribute have to sign up and their names will then appear on the article they submit. Unlike on Wikipedia, anonymous contributions are not allowed, and once written, contributions become protected. Alongside the user-written pieces, Larousse will be making available 150,000 articles from its universal encyclopaedia, plus 10,000 images. Larousse is promising more in the future, along with the inclusion later this year of hundreds of video clips from channels such as National Geographic.
France has long battled against the Anglophone cultural invasion and now it has thrown down a virtual gauntlet. Larousse, the French encyclopaedia created more than 150 years ago, is launching its own - it would say improved - version of Wikipedia.
Its first, free-access, online encyclopaedia will have the same contributor function but, to try to surmount the inherent problem of unreliability of articles, which can be modified by anyone at any time, Larousse has introduced some constraints.
Users who want to contribute have to sign up and their names will then appear on the article they submit. Unlike on Wikipedia, anonymous contributions are not allowed, and once written, contributions become protected.
Alongside the user-written pieces, Larousse will be making available 150,000 articles from its universal encyclopaedia, plus 10,000 images. Larousse is promising more in the future, along with the inclusion later this year of hundreds of video clips from channels such as National Geographic.
Larousse has decided to put its encyclopedia online in a modified Wikipedia format. What does that have to do with English? Wikipedia isn't strictly English, it exists in many languages including French.
But the journalist is "in Paris" and has to send back stuff that fits a recognized frame. Another case of Foreign Correspondent Syndrome™.
The Pope's chief astronomer says that life on Mars cannot be ruled out. Writing in the Vatican newspaper, the astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space. Father Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory near Rome, is a respected scientist who collaborates with universities around the world. The search for forms of extraterrestrial life, he says, does not contradict belief in God.
The Pope's chief astronomer says that life on Mars cannot be ruled out.
Writing in the Vatican newspaper, the astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space.
Father Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory near Rome, is a respected scientist who collaborates with universities around the world.
The search for forms of extraterrestrial life, he says, does not contradict belief in God.
but then they wouldn't need to step off, would they?
forget it... ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
From the BBC
The [UK] National Archives is displaying previously classified files on UFOs. They include this diagram, whose author believed alien craft used decoy methods to avoid detection, carrying not humans but "fallen angels".
A plan for a manned spacecraft has been announced by the European firm EADS. Its Astrium division has designed a variant of its space station freighter that could also transport astronauts. Limited details were released in Bremen, Germany, on Tuesday; further information and a mock-up are expected at the Berlin Air Show this month. Europe does not currently possess its own human space transportation system and is reliant on the Americans and the Russians to get its people into orbit.
A plan for a manned spacecraft has been announced by the European firm EADS.
Its Astrium division has designed a variant of its space station freighter that could also transport astronauts.
Limited details were released in Bremen, Germany, on Tuesday; further information and a mock-up are expected at the Berlin Air Show this month.
Europe does not currently possess its own human space transportation system and is reliant on the Americans and the Russians to get its people into orbit.
How to keep the lights on when all is still and the local windmill won't budge? A small Norwegian island testing a way to store wind-generated energy for calm days may have found the answer. The tiny, windswept island of Utsira, situated off Norway's southwestern coast, is home to what is said to be the world's first full-scale system for cleanly transforming surplus wind power into hydrogen. Perched atop a 40-metre-high wind turbine on a perfectly windstill day, technician Inge Linghammer explains that at times like this or on days when the gales whipping the unsheltered island get too strong the windmill shuts down and stops pumping out power. "You need to have back-up power when this happens," he says, nodding towards the motionless blades.
The tiny, windswept island of Utsira, situated off Norway's southwestern coast, is home to what is said to be the world's first full-scale system for cleanly transforming surplus wind power into hydrogen.
Perched atop a 40-metre-high wind turbine on a perfectly windstill day, technician Inge Linghammer explains that at times like this or on days when the gales whipping the unsheltered island get too strong the windmill shuts down and stops pumping out power.
"You need to have back-up power when this happens," he says, nodding towards the motionless blades.
A seal has been caught on camera trying to have sex with a penguin. The roughly 240-pound seal subdued the 30-pound adult penguin by lying on it. The hapless bird of unknown sex struggled, rapidly flapping its flippers and attempting to stand and flee, without luck. The seal then alternated between resting on the penguin and thrusting its pelvis at the bird in vain attempts to insert its penis for 45 minutes.
The roughly 240-pound seal subdued the 30-pound adult penguin by lying on it. The hapless bird of unknown sex struggled, rapidly flapping its flippers and attempting to stand and flee, without luck.
The seal then alternated between resting on the penguin and thrusting its pelvis at the bird in vain attempts to insert its penis for 45 minutes.
More crap journalism from the IHT.
"There is this idea that if we just buy more products that are green, we'll be fine and everything will just go on," [Colin Beavan, the so-called "no impact man," who - as an experiment - lived a completely carbon-neutral life in a New York apartment with his wife, daughter and dog for a year] said. "But the fact of the matter is, to control emissions we have to look at lifestyle change. And that doesn't mean just using differently, it means using less." Looked at from the perspective of carbon emissions, the fashionista version of green has its limits. <...> Ultimately green is not an aesthetic. Indeed the best way to lower the carbon footprint of your home, Allwood says, it to turn down the heat. "If you're not wearing a woollen sweater indoors in winter, your heating is set too high," he said. <...> Said Beavan, the no-impact man: "Some companies are really trying to make greener products: They'll make a lamp made with LED bulb, but the whole ethos is that you'll buy it cause it's au courant and fashionable, and then get a new one when it's out of style."
Looked at from the perspective of carbon emissions, the fashionista version of green has its limits. <...>
Ultimately green is not an aesthetic. Indeed the best way to lower the carbon footprint of your home, Allwood says, it to turn down the heat.
"If you're not wearing a woollen sweater indoors in winter, your heating is set too high," he said. <...>
Said Beavan, the no-impact man: "Some companies are really trying to make greener products: They'll make a lamp made with LED bulb, but the whole ethos is that you'll buy it cause it's au courant and fashionable, and then get a new one when it's out of style."
