Print this image and stick it on the fridge or their door! 🙂
Australia, one of the first countries to commit troops to the war in Iraq five years ago, has ended its combat operations there. About 300 Australians will remain inside Iraq on logistical and air surveillance duties. This withdrawal is in line with a promise by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who won the election in November. …
Continue reading Australia ends Iraq combat
Here in Ireland the everyday greeting usually has something to do with the weather. Partly that’s because of the rural population and the importance of agriculture in culture, but also because of the extraordinary variability of daily weather. It is not unusual to hear a weather forecast of “sun, with rain” and temperature fluctuations of …
Continue reading BT Notes May
The video and report linked here shows a monkey controlling a robotic arm via probes inserted into its brain. This certainly demonstrates the viability of robotic prosthetics (and probably some terrifying military applications). But I wouldn’t want unnecessary probes in my head and our cousin primates don’t either. It would be better if human volunteers …
Continue reading The 6 million dollar man becoming reality
Amnesty International released their annual report on human rights. It continues to paint a stark picture of humanity. Violence is the culture of too many places, and of too many rich countries. With the richest countries still failing to respect human life, despite teh intellect and wealth available to nurture, it remains a dream that …
Continue reading Still a primitive world – AI report on human rights 2008
Its not just people in the street that are starting to feel the pinch. Official data says it too – so it must be true. We’ve noticed price increases in many areas (except housing). Certainly petrol and other oils are up by at least 10% this year so far. And food prices seem to have …
Continue reading The mood has changed, time to face reality.
More than 55,000 people are known to have died in the earthquake that struck south-west China on 12 May, according to the vice-governor of Sichuan province. The earth quake in China has displaced more people (over 5 million) than the population of Ireland (where I live) and created new land features. These satellite pictures from …
Continue reading Natural power!
The Urban Institute’s recent work on jails and recidivism in the US shows that integrating jails with other community life reduces the liklihood of reoffending and lowers the costs of incaceration. This report from the Futurist: Local jails in the United States handle 9 million individuals a year, far more than state and federal prisons …
Continue reading Making jails part of the community
Another depressing report about humanity’s greedy footprint: Wildlife Populations Plummeting. The Zoological Society reports continuing (accelerating) species extinction on land and in water. Between a quarter and a third of the world’s wildlife has been lost since 1970. Populations of land-based species fell by 25%, marine by 28% and freshwater by 29%. Humans are wiping …
Continue reading Watching life disintegrate – species extinction.
Check out the trailer and episodes online. Big picture sound and video: What About Me?
