Save the Earth and save humanity

All about Green Grass

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:10:00 +0000

This post will definitely be useful for the people who are looking out on how to choose the right grass seed or how to sow the grass seeds and create a lawn.

Before you create a Lawn, you should be aware of the necessary things to create a Lawn as proceeding without knowing it might put all your efforts in Vain. Lawn has to be created on a good soil which is fertile and has moisture. Also there should be proper drainage or harvest system in place to drain all the water on the Lawns as stagnant water could spoil your entire lawn.The green grass seed you choose should be according to the place you put up your lawn and the climatic conditions. Also make sure you prepare the grass seed bed properly before you sow the seeds.

Choosing the right green grass seed:
There are a variety of green grass seeds to choose from. Make sure you consult with the nearby gardeners or lawn owners before you select the grass seeds. There are grasses like Kentucky blue grass, Perennial Ryegrass, Annual Ryegrass, Bentgrass, Fescue, Zoysia and many more. Choosing the right type of seeds based on the climatic conditions and the terrain is good.

Preparing the seed bed:
Before you sow the grass seeds make sure to prepare the grass seed bed properly. Scrape through the surface of the soil and level the surface. There should not be any pot holes where the water can remain stagnant. Also add the fertilizers as per the grass seed you have chosen and then again scrape through the land. Also, rather than buying the coated seeds, you could buy the turf seeds.

Tags: Grass seed varieties, Grass seeds Vancouver,

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Raised bed Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 05 May 2012 09:38:00 +0000

I am putting this post on my blog to let you all know about one of the good techniques in gardening - Raised bed gardening. I just came to know about this concept few days back as I was browsing through the net. So, I just did a little more research on the "Raised bed gardening" on net and I have put all my thoughts into this post :). Raised bed gardens are also called garden boxes. Garden boxes or raised beds are very similar to the planters, the only difference being, these garden beds and boxes are left with an open bottom so that the plants can root themselves into the natural ground and get nutrients from there instead of confining it to an area as in planters. A snapshot of the garden bed:

Garden beds are can be customized as per our needs. Garden boxes can be arranged in the middle of the lawns or along the compounds or fences or it could be at the top of the building. Also garden beds comes in many shapes and sizes as per our needs. The most popular garden bed shapes are rectangular garden beds, U shaped garden beds, L shaped garden beds, Square beds, octagonal beds and hexagonal beds. Also, garden beds could be made of materials like wood,steel,bricks,stones or with sheets and earth bags. These garden beds or boxes can be bought or even it can be built on our own.

The raised garden beds has lot of advantages like if the soil is poor or infertile, then we could build a piece of land with fertile soil and place the garden beds over it to have a good harvest. Its ideal for vegetables and flowers. Its maintenance cost is much lower than the conventional garden types. Also, it gives the flexibility to have different gardens over the same area and it can be tailor made as per our needs. Please subscribe to get my updates!!!

Green Walls Living Walls

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:43:00 +0000

A green wall is a vertical garden that is pre-planted in panels and then attached to the facade of the building. Plants stay intact in their vertical positions because their root structures are anchored in 2-4 inches of soil kept within the panel. Sedums are the most common plant used in living wall applications, displaying beautiful succulent leaves and blossoms in spring and summer. You can also grow vegetables and native plants depending on your soil depth and climate.

Green Walls can be interior and exterior. In exterior green walls sedums turn a shade of maroon in the winter and then turn back to green the following spring. Indoor living walls use tropical plants that stay the same color the year around.

Advantages of having Green walls:

It reduces air pollution, deters graffiti, and also mitigates the stormwater runoff. They add to the interior/exterior decoration of your building and shows our commitment towards environment.

Green walls are biofilters. They absorb the dust and other polluting particles in the air and gives out fresh oxygen.As they absorb dust and other pollutants from the air, they reduce the green house gases and in turn helps in reducing the global warming. Also these green walls keep the buildings cool by retaining the moisture and it also retains the rain waters flowing through the walls.

Green Walls also protects your walls from heat and UV rays by giving a green cover to your walls. Also they give us a fresh and ever green feeling.

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Lowes Vs Home Depot – Which is best for home improvement?

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:16:00 +0000

When it comes to home improvement, its either the Lowes Home improvement or the HD (Home Depot) home improvement. But which is the better for your requirement? Well, its like a cat on the wall and it depends on your requirements.

What costs cheaper in Lowes and Home depot?

If you are looking for some little things like lightings, carpets, paints and interior cosmetic materials, then go for Lowes. Lowes costs low on these items and you can also redeem your lowes coupons to get more discounts.

If your requirement is something like the building supplies or wooden items or contractor materials or electrical items or plumbing stuffs, then go for Home Dept store or Home Depot Expo store. Generally, the Home Depot expo stores has the next level of better collection of items than the Home depot stores. As in Lowes, you can redeem the Home depot coupons to get discounts.

You can also find good deals on tables and other home items in Lowes clearance sales.

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Celebrate the festival of lights as an "eco-friendly" green festival

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:09:00 +0000

If you are among those who could do with a little less noise and air pollution this Diwali, you will welcome these eco-friendly sky-lanterns, that are China-made and cost about Rs. 120 each. All you need to do is light up the fuel-cell, allow the air to fill in and release it to go swaying in the air.

These low cost sky lanterns from China is made out of bio-degradable materials like cloth, cardboard and wax

Lets celebrate diwali as a festival of "lights" rather than a festival of "Noise, pollution and smoke". Join hands for a green diwlai. Wish you all a happy diwali!! :)

You can buy sky lanterns online @ anshi.in, skylanterns.in and in many other online stores. Just Google it out :)

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Can excess lights at night contribute to air pollution?... Check out

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 03:20:00 +0000

A study by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado has shown that excess light at night can contribute to air pollution .

Findings indicate that uplight from outdoor lighting that contributes to sky glow over cities also interferes with chemical reactions that naturally clean the air during nighttime hours.

Every night, chemicals from vehicle exhaust and other human created sources are broken down and prevented from becoming smog, ozone, or other irritants by a form of nitrogen oxide called the nitrate radical. Sunlight destroys the naturally occurring nitrate radical, so this process occurs only in hours of darkness.

Measurements taken over Los Angeles by aircraft show that light pollution from cities is suppressing the radical. Though the lights are 10,000 times dimmer than the Sun, the study's first results indicate that city lights can slow down the nighttime cleansing by up to 7pc and they can increase the starting chemicals for ozone pollution the next day by up to 5pc.

"[This effect] is more important up in the air than it is directly on the ground so if you manage to keep the light pointing downward and not reflected back up into sky, into the higher parts of the air, then you would certainly have a much smaller effect of this," NOAA investigator Harald Stark told BBC News.

The finding has been presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

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Green Poem

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Ride a bicycle – To

Save Eco Lifecycle

Never make trees cry – But

Let the clouds cry

Tighten-Up electric bills – Rather

Raising-Up natural kills

Turn off unused lights – standup

Against environmental fights

Cut down wasting power – Don’t

Cut down tree tower

Turn down your water-heater

Save up our rain-water

Improvise total eco-efficiency

Reduce health deficiency

Treat this with diligence

Give-up your patience

Now pickup good hope

Help our great globe

.. SAVE the Energy

Save the EARTH ..

Source: Internet

Treatment Technologies at Breweries

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 05:08:00 +0000

Where the brewery does not discharge to a municipal sewer then primary and secondary treatment of the effluent is required. Primary treatment facilities may include: pH adjustment; roughing screens; grit settling chambers; and a clarifier. Choices of processes to remove BOD5 in a secondary treatment stage include:
anaerobic treatment followed by aerobic treatment and activated sludge systems. Sludges from the clarifier are dewatered and disposed through incineration, or to an approved landfill.Where the brewery is permitted to discharge to a municipal sewer, pretreatment may be required to meet municipal bylaws and/or to lessen the load on the municipal treatment imposed on effluent volume, and on the

suspended and BOD51 loads, by the municipality may encourage the brewery to install its own treatment facility. Modern plants using good industrial practices are able to achieve the following in terms of pollutant loads: Water conservation and recycling will allow water consumption to be controlled to a minimum. A new brewery should target on achieving an effluent range of 3-5 m3/m3 beer produced. Provision for recycle of liquors and reuse of wash waters will help reduce the total volume of liquid effluent. A new brewery should target on achieving a treated effluent that has less than 0.3 kilograms (kg) of BOD5/m3 beer produced and 0.3 kg of suspended solids/m3 beer produced (assumes to receiving waters). Odor emissions can be minimized if exhaust vapors are condensed before they are released to the atmosphere or if they are sent to the boiler and burned.

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Air pollution from other countries drifts into USA

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:58:00 +0000

Mercury from China, dust from Africa, smog from Mexico — all of it drifts freely across U.S. borders and contaminates the air millions of Americans breathe, according to recent research from Harvard University, the University of Washington and many other institutions where scientists are studying air pollution. There are no boundaries in the sky to stop such pollution, no Border Patrol agents to capture it.

Pollution wafting into the USA accounts for 30% of the nation's ozone, an important component of smog, says researcher David Parrish of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By the year 2020, Harvard University's Daniel Jacob says, imported pollution will be the primary factor degrading visibility in our national parks.

While the United States is cutting its own emissions, some nations, especially China, are belching out more and more dirty air. As a result, overseas pollution could partly cancel out improvements in U.S. air quality that have cost billions of dollars.

Among the efforts that could be undermined: the Environmental Protection Agency's new drive to cut power plants' emissions of ozone-forming chemicals and particle pollution, specks of chemicals that damage health. The EPA finalized the rule Thursday.

The EPA will announce limits Tuesday on mercury emitted by U.S. power plants. But the agency estimates that 40% of the mercury that sinks out of the air and lands in the USA comes from overseas.

"A number of things are getting here that we're worried about," says David Streets, an environmental scientist at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. "Some of these (pollutants) are not easy to control. ... I don't expect things to get better in the next 10 years or so, and some things will get worse."

Almost every place in the USA has suffered from the effects of imported air pollution, at least occasionally. Some of the most serious impacts:

• Mercury emitted by power plants and factories in China, Korea and other parts of Asia wafts over to the USA and settles into the nation's lakes and streams, where it contributes to pollution that makes fish unsafe to eat.

• Dust from Africa's Sahara Desert blows west across the Atlantic Ocean and helps raise particle levels above federal health standards in Miami and other Southern cities.

• Haze and ozone from factories, power plants and fires in Asia and Mexico infiltrate wilderness spots such as California's Sequoia National Park and Texas' Big Bend National Park, clouding views and making the air less healthy.

Scientists who study air quality have long known that air pollution seeps into the USA from abroad. But only recently have they realized that the problem has an enormous reach — an idea that at first met with resistance.

"A lot of scientists were skeptical," says Daniel Jaffe of the University of Washington at Bothell, recalling the reaction to his early findings. "There was a lot of, 'Oh, come on now.' "

But aerial and ground-based sensors that detected the chemical fingerprints of pollutants floating across oceans helped erase doubts. So did new satellites that in the last 10 years gave scientists a bird's-eye view of clouds of pollution drifting from continent to continent.

From Africa to Alabama

When dust from the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia headed for North America in 1998, "you could actually see it like yellow ink snaking across the Pacific," says Rudolf Husar, who studies atmospheric chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis.

The dust cloud was so thick that when it reached the USA, officials in Washington and Oregon issued warnings about unhealthful air quality, Husar says. Other Asian dust storms have polluted the skies in Savannah, Ga., and Maine.

African dust doesn't migrate as far into the USA as its Asian cousin. But it can get to places such as northern Alabama and southern Tennessee, which suffer from significant homegrown emissions. The combination of local and imported pollution causes particle levels to soar above federal health limits, Husar says.

Human health suffers when dust plumes drift into town. Clouds of dust or smoke contain microscopic particles that, when inhaled, penetrate deep into the lungs. Studies in publications such as The New England Journal of Medicine have found that cities with chronically high levels of particles have higher death rates, mostly from heart and lung disease. And emergency-room visits and death rates rise in the days following a spike in particle pollution.

In 1998, a plume of smoke drifted north from fires that had been set by farmers in Central America to clear fields. It blanketed cities from Austin, Texas, to Altoona, Pa., and "undoubtedly increased mortality" there, says John Bachmann, a science and policy director for the EPA. The plume was so thick that it caused partial closure of the main airport in St. Louis.

Ozone that comes ashore in the USA isn't as easy to spot as dust, because satellites can't see it. It's a colorless gas that burns the lungs and exacerbates heart disease. It forms in the presence of sunlight when emissions from the burning of fossil fuels mix with vapors from substances such as paint, solvents and even fingernail polish. Ozone is the main ingredient in smog.

Though ozone is hard to trace, scientists have learned enough to realize that every gust of air that blows into the USA has more ozone in it now than it did 20 years ago.

Some of the ozone in that air originated in the USA and returns here after circling the globe. But U.S. emissions did not cause the recent rise in global ozone — U.S. air pollution restrictions have decreased the emissions that produce ozone. Debate continues on what did cause the worldwide increase. It could be higher emissions from Asian industries. Or it could be from commercial ships, which lack pollution controls.

Whatever the cause, the higher ozone level affects air quality, especially in cities often hit by air currents from overseas.

The EPA's Bachmann says the base-line ozone content of the world's air has at least doubled since the Industrial Revolution. That means base-line ozone alone gets U.S. air uncomfortably close to being unhealthy. "That's pretty spooky," he says.

'You don't see anything'

The outlook for the future is even spookier. Asian pollution, scientists say, has the potential to help negate the United States' work to clean up its air.

Asked if he's concerned about the rising emissions from Asia's growing industry, the EPA's Bachmann answers, "You bet."

He cites Los Angles as an example of a potential problem spot. The city has some of the worst ozone in the nation, and it's not clear how to make the air healthy.

Los Angeles may get as much as 50 parts per billion of its ozone from overseas, on top of the ozone created by local vehicles. A "Code Orange" alert warning — indicating the air is unhealthy for sensitive people — is issued when ozone levels average 80 parts per billion

Growth in imported pollution could also undermine a new rule to limit power-plant emissions. Issued Thursday, it's intended to force power plants in the eastern USA to eliminate 61% of the emissions of ozone-forming chemicals by 2015.

Streets estimates that Asian emissions of those chemicals doubled from 1985 to 2000 and are still rising. That will reduce the benefit of the new power plant rule.

Jacob also worries about foreign pollution's effect on views in U.S. national parks. U.S. law requires the restoration of natural visibility in places such as Arizona's Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. But haze caused by Asian dust storms sometimes obscures the landscape in the parks. The haze could make it difficult, if not impossible, to reach visibility goals and also is bad for people's health.

Even today, "if you go to the Western national parks during the springtime, you're very likely to have your visibility decreased by Asian dust," Jacob says. "In a big (dust) storm, you don't see anything."

Despite the influx of dirty air from abroad, the bulk of USA's air pollution comes from U.S. tailpipes and smokestacks. So scientists such as Jaffe say cleaning up domestic emissions is still the most important step the United States can take to clean up its air.

Europeans probably would approve of that advice, because air pollution from the USA crosses the Atlantic to choke the Old World.

In 2001, for example, a cloud of fumes from the eastern USA traveled far enough to cause high levels of ozone in the Alps, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Aware that it gives as well as gets air pollution, the United States has taken steps to address the two-way flow. In 2000, Canada and the United States signed a treaty requiring both nations to reduce ozone-forming gases. Air-quality managers from El Paso, and Juarez, Mexico, work on how to control ozone and particle pollution that crosses the border both ways.

But at talks in the past year, the U.S. government opposed a stringent treaty to control mercury, which is emitted by coal-burning power plants and factories. Several European countries support mandatory mercury limits. The United States argued instead for technical aid to teach countries how to control their mercury emissions.

As for the national parks, Bachmann says the United States wants "to work with the international community" to clean up pollution. But no global binding treaties are in the works.

That will have to change, some scientists say। The recent research "really points to the need for global cooperation," Jaffe says. "It's only one planet, and we've got to learn to live on it."

Source http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-03-13-pollution-_x.htm
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How Permaculture Can Save Humanity and the Earth, but Not Civilization

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:49:00 +0000

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Daylight Saving time- Do we need it?

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:49:00 +0000

For nearly a century, Americans have been springing forward and falling back, and this year will be no different. Come Sunday morning, we’ll be snuggled soundly in bed as the clocks fall back an hour. Daylight saving time is the autumnal gift that provides the proverbial snooze button to our circadian rhythm.But whether or not we should get that extra sleep has spurred some passionate debate from many disparate groups.To better understand the situation, it’s best to look at why we do this annual clock change each fall and spring. Agrarian cultures built their societies around sunlight, waking up with the sun to toil in the field and heading home as the sun lowered beneath the horizon. But the Industrial Revolution, and electricity in particular, brought the freedom to unshackle us from nature’s clock.As far back as 1897, countries began instituting daylight saving time, adding an hour of sunlight to the day. This meant communities could be more productive — people could work longer, and when work was done it was still bright enough to run errands and stimulate the economy. The added daylight also meant more exposure to vitamin D and the added time for people to exercise outdoors.Everyone from factories to retail shops embraced the change. Even candy makers supported the new system, figuring the extra hour of sunlight meant it would be safer for kids to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.“It has several technical benefits as well,” explained Dr. David Prerau, author of “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time,” during a phone interview. “It’s been found to reduce energy usage by doing something called load smoothing” — separating out electrical loads throughout the day to better deal with the valleys and peaks of energy usage — “and so you’re going to generate energy more efficiently and therefore have less effects on pollution.”A study by the U.S. Department of Transportation showed that the country's electricity usage is cut by 1 percent each day because of daylight saving time.But not everyone is on board with the time shift.Michael Downing, a teacher at Tufts University and the author of “Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time,” says messing with the clock doesn’t really save energy. “Daylight saving is still a boon to purveyors of barbecue grills, sports and recreation equipment, and the petroleum industry, as gasoline consumption increases every time we increase the length of the daylight saving period,” Downing told MNN. “Give Americans an extra hour of after-dinner daylight, and they will go to the ballpark or the mall — but they won't walk there.”Daylight saving time increases gasoline consumption, according to Downing. “It is a convenient and cynical substitute for a real energy conservation policy.”There’s data to back him up. A report by the California Energy Commission’s Demand Analysis Officeconcluded that increasing daylight saving time “had little or no effect on energy consumption in California.”Television networks aren’t fans of the time change either. The extra hour of daylight means less people are home to watch TV. Viewership ratings traditionally plunge each spring. Fox’s hit “American Idol” clocked in historic low ratings immediately following the time change in spring 2009. On average, primetime shows shed 10 percent of their viewers on the Monday after the clocks are changed.“I think television networks would like it to be dark as soon as you left the office and headed home for the night,” Bill Gorman, of the website TV by the Numbers, told NPR. “And maybe it started raining or snowing a lot as soon as primetime began.”It doesn’t look like those issues with springing forward and falling back will end soon. As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the U.S. Congress pushed daylight saving time three to four weeks deeper into the fall in an effort to combat growing energy problems.That change has resulted in sunrises as late as 8:30 a.m. in some areas, causing unexpected ripple effects.For example, it threw a wrench into the lifestyle of observant Jews whose morning synagogue services are predicated on the sun. In fact, Prerau points out, Israel has a relatively short daylight saving time compared to other countries. “If sunrise is late, religious Jews have to delay going to work or pray at work, neither of which is a desirable situation,” he says.“If you don't like daylight saving time, you have plenty of options,” explains A.J. Jacobs, the bestselling author of “The Know-It-All.” He suggests moving to Arizona or Hawaii, states which don’t observe daylight saving time at all. “Parts of Indiana used to be DST-resistant as well, but I think they've since buckled.”Even for those who do live in such states, life isn't simple. “It’s crazy. People forget about us not changing so they call at ridiculous times,” says Anita Atwell Seate, a doctoral student at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “But, on the upside, you don’t have to adjust your sleep schedule or your clocks.”Is daylight saving time a fait accompli or will time ever just stand still? Downing doesn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. “Since 1966, every 20 years, Congress has given us another month of daylight saving. We're up to eight months now,” he says. “And there is every reason to believe that the [U.S.] Chamber of Commerce, the national lobby for convenience stores — which account for more than 80 percent of all gasoline sales in the country — and Congress will continue to press for extensions until we adopt year-round daylight saving. And then, why not spring forward in March or April and enjoy double daylight saving time?”

Source: Green.Yahoo.Com

Chennai hit by Jal Cyclone

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:33:00 +0000

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Jal cyclone has resulted in a day-night rain all over the coastal chennai city. Most parts of chennai experienced a good rain with winds blowing at great speeds. The Jal cyclone is expected to cross the shores between Chennai and nellore and heavy rain is predicted over the coastal areas. Already the pondicherry government has declared holidays to the schools in puduchery. The Chennai corporation has taken the necessary actions and steps to keep the damages minimum. Jal has also disrupted the normal life in Chennai and other areas in TamilNadu. The sea water invaded into the village areas in Cudddalore (near the Silver beach).

Andhra is also experiencing a heavy rain.

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Win $75,000 for your environmental projects

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 12:11:00 +0000

The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is an initiative by the University of St Andrews in Scotland and the international integrated energy company, ConocoPhillips.

The Prize recognises significant contributions to environmental conservation and since its launch in 1998 has attracted entries from more than 50 countries each year on diverse topics including;

* sustainable development in the Amazon rainforest
* urban regeneration
* recycling
* health and water issues
* renewable energy

Submissions for the annual prize are assessed by a panel of eminent trustees representing science, industry and government with the award going to the project the Trustees consider displays the best combination of good science, economic realism and political acceptability.

The winner will receive $75,000 USD and two runners up
will each receive $25,000 USD.

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Osama Bin laden as "Environmental Activist"

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:24:00 +0000

Osama bin Laden yesterday criticised relief efforts in Pakistan and called for action against climate change in what appeared to be a new audio tape from the al-Qaida leader.

The audio message lasted about 11 minutes, and was broadcast with a video showing still images of Bin Laden and images of natural disasters, the Islamist website used by al-Qaida said.

The authenticity of the tape and its precise release date could not be immediately confirmed. In it, however, Bin Laden congratulates Muslims on the holy month of Ramadan, which started on 11 August 11 and ended 9 September.

He describes the fate of the Pakistani people following catastrophic floods, saying: "Millions of children are out in the open air, lacking basic elements of living, including drinking water, resulting in their bodies shedding liquids and subsequently their death."

Bin Laden also touches on global warming, the second time he is believed to have made climate change a prominent theme of one of his statements.

"The huge climate change is affecting our (Islamic) nation and is causing great catastrophes throughout the Islamic world," he says in the tape.

"It is not sufficient anymore to maintain the same relief efforts as previously, as it has become crucial to deliver tents, food and medicine."

Islamic charities, some with suspected ties to militant groups, were quicker than the Pakistani government to provide relief to flood victims.

Pakistani and US officials have repeatedly expressed concern that the Taliban and other militant groups could exploit the disarray following the floods in Pakistan to gain recruits.

Bin Laden urges a "huge transformation" in how relief work is administered, suggesting the number of victims of climate change is far larger than the number of victims of war.

He blames countries in the region for setting aside a "huge part" of their budgets to finance armies without having any impact on the Palestinian cause.

"Spending is nowhere in comparison to what is being spent on those armies," he says.

The message was Bin Laden's first since 25 March, when he threatened to execute any Americans taken prisoner by al-Qaida if accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was executed.

US soldiers and Afghan militia forces launched a large-scale assault on the Tora Bora mountains in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States in pursuit of the Saudi-born Bin Laden.

But he has never been found, and is believed to be hiding in the mountainous border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/02/osama-bin-laden-climate-change

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Renewable energy production goes down in UK

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 07:58:00 +0000

The UK has suffered a second fall in renewable energy production this year, raising concern about the more than £1bn support the industry receives each year from taxpayers.

The drop in electricity generated from wind, hydro and other clean sources in the first half of 2010 could also be a setback to the coalition government's promise that the UK could help lead a "third industrial revolution" and create a low-carbon economy.

The DECC today said lower than expected wind speeds and rainfall led to a 12% fall in renewable electricity generated between April and June, compared to the same period in 2009. This setback follows a smaller but still notable decline between January and March, again compared to last year.

With a sharp drop in output from nuclear power stations as well, greenhouse gas emissions from each unit of electricity generated will inevitably have risen, at a time when the UK has pledged to cut such pollution, and is pressing other countries to do the same.

The renewable energy figures are likely to prompt criticism of the government's energy policies from all sides. Supporters want ministers to increase funding for green industry so more wind farms are built, reducing the risk of seasonal set backs; critics will say the government should instead increase support for energy efficiency, nuclear power or cleaner forms of burning fossil fuels.

With speculation mounting that the government is considering cutting the feed-in tariff subsidy for small-scale renewable equipment, 69 industry figures and other experts will tomorrow publish an open letter to the government warning such a move would "shatter" confidence and put future investment "in mortal peril".

However, Robert Gross, director of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology at Imperial College London, said it was too soon to react to the drops in renewables, pointing out that other electricity sources were also vulnerable to short-term problems, such as fluctuations in supply and prices of fossil fuels and technology shutdowns at nuclear reactors. Risks were not likely to arise until renewable sources made up more than 25-35% of electricity supply, when the UK would need back up from one or more of the several options: new gas plants, better connections to mainland Europe, better demand management so more electricity was used at off-peak times, and better technology to store surplus energy for peak times, said Gross.

The DECC also suggested the government was not yet planning to change its policies, which included direct support of £265m from 2000-2009, and about £1bn indirect subsidies for large installations through 'renewable obligation certificates' in 2008-9.

"Wind energy is home-grown, low-carbon and adds diversity to our energy mix," said a department statement. "The intermittent nature of wind means that we do need alternative back-up generation, for when wind speeds drop. But for most of the time it will be possible to generate significant amounts of electricity from wind, thereby reducing the amount of fossil fuels we need to consume."

The latest energy statistics for the second quarter of 2010 show total energy production in the UK was 9.2% lower than the same period last year, while final energy consumption was 1.8% higher. Among the different fuels, output from oil and coal fell, while only gas increased its output, by 7.1%. It was a similar picture for electricity alone: coal power stayed steady at about 23% of electricity supplied, nuclear output fell by 23% to 15.8%, and gas production rose by more than 10% to over half of all electricity.

Chris Huhne, the climate secretary, repeatedly chastised the previous government for putting the UK in 25th place among the 27 European Union countries for renewable energy, a ranking based on 2008 figures.

However, last week RenewableUK, the industry lobby group, said the UK was "on course" to meet its commitment to reach 15% of all energy – including at least 30% of electricity – from renewable sources by 2020.

Responding to today's figures, a spokesman for the group said: "Clearly we need to deploy more renewable devices if we expect to get more in the energy mix. Hydro and wind power will vary from year to year, as do other technologies, but we know that they can and do contribute significant amounts of electricity.

"Hydro is one the world's oldest and most widespread energy technologies, and wind power has shown its mettle across Europe. If we don't write off nuclear energy on the basis of [its latest] fall, why would we write off hydro, or even wind, which is now the UK's largest source of renewable energy?"

Louise Hutchins, climate campaigner for Greenpeace, said: "At the moment it [renewable energy] is a very small share in electricity and small fluctuations in weather can have an impact on the percentage of supply. When we have a lot more renewable energy there will be a lot more stability."

Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/30/uk-renewable-energy-production-drops

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Loch Ness Monster 'caught on camera' off British coast

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:06:00 +0000

London, July 31 (ANI): A photograph of what appears to be a long-necked sea creature off the coast of Britain has left marine experts baffled.

The photograph was taken as the 'animal' was stalking a shoal of fish, which were apparently so terrified they beached themselves just seconds later.

Locals, who spotted the creature off the Devon coast at Saltern Cove, Paignton, had thought that it was a turtle.

Other pictures taken by one of the baffled witnesses, Gill Pearce, however revealed that the neck of the greenish-brown beast with the reptile-like head was far too long to be a turtle.

Pearce, who took the photo on July 27, reported her sighting to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) where sea life experts studied it.

"Gill Pearce spotted the creature about 20 metres from the bay at Saltern Cove, near Goodrington," the Daily Mail quoted Claire Fischer from the MCS as saying.

"It was observed at about 15.30 on 27 July but by the time she had got her camera it had moved further out.

"She spotted it following a shoal of fish which beached themselves in Saltern Cove.

"The creature remained in the sea, then went out again and followed the shoal - this indicates it's not a turtle as they only eat jellyfish.

"We would love to know if other people have seen anything like this in the same area and can help clear up the mystery," Fischer added. (ANI)

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Tigers facing extinction

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 05:40:00 +0000

2010 is the Year of the Tiger. However, fewer than 3,500 tigers are left in the wild.

* Today tigers are found in only 12 range states, less than 7% of their original range.
* There are currently 6 tiger subspecies under threat, with three tiger subspecies extinct.
* Wild tiger numbers have dropped by 97% in the past 100 years.

These threats are causing a decline in Tiger numbers:

* Poaching of tigers for skins and body parts used in traditional Asian medicines.
* Habitat loss due to agriculture, clearing of forests for the timber trade and rapid development, especially road networks.
* Tigers are increasingly coming into conflict with humans as they stray into areas close to villages, because of habitat loss.

Wild tiger numbers are at their lowest level ever. We must aim to more than double the wild tiger population by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022.

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Climate change in Election agenda for UK Elections

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:37:00 +0000

climate change came back into the election as a live issue yesterday when the three main parties clashed over each other's credentials for fighting global warming.

At a hustings chaired by The Independent, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, attacked his Conservative shadow, Greg Clark, over the number of Tory candidates who are climate sceptics, and hit out at his Liberal Democrat counterpart, Simon Hughes, over what he called the "massive hole" in the Lib Dem climate strategy, which he said was left by the party's refusal to countenance nuclear power.

For more news refer to www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/for-one-night-only-climate-change-back-on-election-agenda-1955115.html

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Cheap Gas and Electricity in UK

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sun, 02 May 2010 09:13:00 +0000

Switching Gas and Electricity suppliers is a great way to save you money. Now you are no longer tied to one provide you are free to choose from all UK Gas & Electricity suppliers in your area. Switching energy supplier with us is a simple and quick process, taking no more than 5 minutes. Our service is completely free and we will arrange the switch with your old suppler and your new supplier for you. And remember we compare the whole domestic UK Gas & Electricity market so you won't find cheaper prices anywhere on the internet.

Source : Visit this link --> http://www.beatthatquote.com/utilities

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Amazing Earth Day Ads

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:19:00 +0000

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Contribute something to our mother Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:55:00 +0000

CONTRIBUTE TO A NOBLE CAUSE

There is a cute small round press button at the bottom right corner of almost all monitors: Please make use of this

Stop printing out Harry Porter, Jeffrey Archer and other e-books. This is a classic example of paper wastage.

If you have forgotten to give double-side prints, make sure you make use of the empty sides as scribbling pads or for your kids' imposition

!

Take two minutes from your busy schedule before hurrying back home to shut down the computer.

All of us are big time Googlers. Have you heard of the Blackle search engine? Blackle (Google powered) is a search engine designed all in Rich Black so that your system consumes less power. So change your homepage.

Plastic bags these days indeed come in bright and flamboyant colours and tempt us to take them home with us. But the saying, "Appearances are deceptive" holds true for these plastic things too. Next time, hold back or go prepared to counter temptation with a cloth bag.

Roses, Jasmine, Hibiscus and Peas; All these saplings cost hardly between Rs 10 - 20 each. Can't we afford to plant these in and around our houses? Also, more importantly, caring and maintain them as they grow?

Try to segregate the different kinds of waste into Bio-Degradable (Fruit or vegetable waste) , Recyclable (waste Paper, paper products) and Electronics (Floppy disks, CD-ROMS ). Once you have segregated your thrash, look for specialized trash cans to throw them away.

Try to minimize the use of horns. Honking has drastically increased and this adds to the noise pollution and does not provide a conducive environment to live in.

Use rechargeable batteries though it's an expensive product, it's one-time purchase. Recharge when required. (Same applies to cell-phones, MP3s, iPods and Laptops)

The best pens to use would be ink ones. Though if you have to use a ball point pen, buy refills instead of buying new pens. Pencils are much better for rough use! (That's why we used it at school!!!)

Remember to close water taps before preening in front of the mirror. Of course you are beautiful, but Water is a precious resource!

Let's not just wake up and walk out of finished meetings and conferences with a sigh of relief, let us remember to turn off the lights and projectors too.

Take few minutes to learn about topics like 'Global Warming' , 'Air / Noise /Land / Water Pollution ' etc apart from constant surfing of News, Latest Gadgets, Movies and Music.

The Earth has already become a dangerous place to live in for the animals and birds. Soon it might be our turn. So let's pledge to save our beautiful planet so that you and your future generations can live happily and peacefully ever after.

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IPL Batting for the Environment.

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:26:00 +0000

IPL (Indian Premier League) is getting its shape as the sustainable event as it joins hands with the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program). Its really good to see IPL doing the green batting from this year 2010, the International Year of Bio-Diversity. To create awareness and to promote the eco-friendliness through the IPL, Sachin Tendulkar has been appointed as the UNEP good will ambassador. IPL-UNEP's vision is to go “climate neutral” meaning that cricket matches will have a neutral effect on the climate.

IPL is getting green from now on....

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Genetically Modified Potato gets EU approval

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:13:00 +0000

BASF's genetically modified Amflora potato, which has just been approved by the European Commission, contains genes that are resistant to antibiotics. A GM potato could be a cheap source of protein. A protein-rich genetically modified potato could help combat malnutrition. The antibiotics could become "extremely important" to treat otherwise multi-resistant infections and tuberculosis, the European Medicines Authority (EMA) warned. Drug resistance is part of the explanation for the resurgence of TB, which infects eight million people worldwide every year.

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Climatic changes caused only by the Humans

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:09:00 +0000

Climate scientists have delivered a powerful riposte to their sceptical critics with a study that strengthens the case for saying global warming is largely the result of man-made emissions of greenhouse gases.

The researchers found that no other possible natural phenomenon, such as volcanic eruptions or variations in the activity of the Sun, could explain the significant warming of the planet over the past half century as recorded on every continent including Antarctica.

It is only when the warming effect of emitting millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from human activity is considered that it is possible to explain why global average temperatures have risen so significantly since the middle of the 20th century.

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TNPSC Group 1 Services 2010 Answers key, TNPSC Group 1 Exam answers May 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Infoscian) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:54:00 +0000

Download the answers here-----> Click Here

Check out this page.. TNPSC Group 1 Services exam, 2010 answer key will be updated shortly.

Tags: TNPSC Group1 Exam 2010 Solved Question Paper, TNPSC 2010 answers.

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