England and Wales may be experiencing one of their wettest summers on record, but some of the UK's reservoirs and underground reserves are still not full.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
23.07.07. UK FLOODS
LINK Interactive explanation of why the floods occurred
LINK Gallery of images from the Guardian
LINK The worst flood ever
LINK map of flood areas
Link to 23.07.07. Interactive. UK floods | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited
LINK what to do if your house is flooded
LINK BBC Flood crisis operation launched
Monday, 23 July 2007
Tanker beached in Australia
The Pasha Bulker wound up in this condition near Newcastle, Aus, for almost the entire month of June. Their mistake: ignoring warnings to head out to sea in advance of a major storm.
By the time they were grounded, they had to actually further ground it in advance off yet another storm. They pushed it parallel to the beach, so that it wouldn't sink entirely and release 700,000 tons of fuel oil into the water.
Worlds tallest man
The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun, who stands 2.36 metres (7 feet 8 inches) tall.
'$100 laptop' production begins
Five years after the concept was first proposed, the so-called $100 laptop is poised to go into mass production.Hardware suppliers have been given the green light to ramp-up production of all of the components needed to build millions of the low-cost machines. Previously, the organisation behind the scheme said that it required orders for 3m laptops to make production viable. The first machines should be ready to put into the hands of children in developing countries in October 2007.
Link to BBC NEWS | Technology | '$100 laptop' production begins
FLOODS July 2007
Link to BBC NEWS | Special Reports | 629 | 629 | Floods: At-a-glance
Flood crisis grows as rivers rise LINK
The Severn: Severe warnings for Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Worcester
The Thames: Severe warnings affecting Eynsham to Sandford Lock and also Little Wittenham
The Ock: Severe warnings from Charney Bassett to Abingdon
The Great Ouse: Severe warnings from Turvey to Sharnbrook
The Avon: Severe warnings at Evesham
LINK Floods bring chaos across county
Gloucestershire FLOODS LINK
Flood in pictures LINK
How Green is My Region?
Is England moving toward or away from environmental sustainability?How do England’s nine regions compare in the sustainability stakes?
Our research (PDF†) found that there are some good green policies in each of England’s nine regions. But overall each region is being held back by having to comply with central Government requirements to adopt environmentally damaging policies and trends.
Link to Friends of the Earth: England: News: How Green is My Region?
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Gapminder - Dollar Street, 2002
All people of the world live on Dollar Street, the poorest to the left and the richest to the right. Everybody else live inbetween. Dollar Street contains complete photo-panoramas from households at different income levels. Current version includes 13 household and 3 school documentations from Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda. Scroll the street to left and right to move up and down the street. Click on the houses to get inside and explore different household functions.
Link to Gapminder - Dollar Street, 2002
State of the Countryside 2007
This year's State of the Countryside report shows there are now nearly 400,000 fewer young people aged 15-29 in rural areas than just twenty years ago. This trend is set against a rising rural population overall and has contributed significantly to a rural demographic which is both older and ageing faster than urban areas. The report also shows:
- that rural areas experienced over 200% growth in the number of migrant workers in the last three years;
- the average rural household spent nearly £480 per week in 2005, £60 per week higher than was paid by the average urban household;
- that just 44% of households in sparse isolated rural areas are within easy reach of a GP;
- a near doubling of energy crops in the last year; and
- that due to the changing climate there are now nearly 400 vineyards in England and Wales.
Link to CRC Publications CRC 46 - State of the Countryside 2007
New Forest: Coastal Management
New Forest District Council has 60 km of coastline, extending from Chewton Bunny, Christchurch Bay in the west to Redbridge, Southampton Water in the east; this also includes approximately 9km of the lower reaches of the Beaulieu and Lymington Rivers within the Western Solent. This stretch of coastline has a wide range of geologically and geomorphologically important features that include soft cliffs, spits and barrier beaches, saltmarshes and mudflats. These dynamically evolving environments are also of international importance for nature conservation.
Link to New Forest: Coastal Management
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Malaria Lesson Teaching Resources
Malaria is an important disease for students to be aware of – the following teaching resources have been used for use among A’ Level learners but can be adapted for younger students.
(1) Malaria Multiple choice quiz (PDF format - 28kb)
(2) Malaria PowerPoint (PPT format - 274kb)
(3) Malaria Tasks – can be used to assess learning (PDF format - 18kb)
(4) Teaching Lesson Plan (PDF format - 21kb)
Link to Malaria Lesson Teaching Resources
Search for the world in one city
When they were boys, Alex Horne and Owen Powell obsessively collected Panini football stickers. Now the two friends have embarked on a more daunting task: instead of hunting down that elusive Portuguese striker, they are trying to find a person from every country in the world who lives in London.
Their quest for the 'World in One City' was launched on 24 October last year, United Nations Day. More than seven months later, they have ticked off more than half of the UN's 192 official nationalities, starting with the Philippines and leading in the last week alone to Albania, Finland, Uganda, Vietnam and Senegal, the 112th profile added to their blog,
BLOG
Link to Search for the world in one city | UK News | The Observer
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Logging in Northern Republic of Congo
This very high resolution image of northern Republic of Congo was captured on June 27, 2002, by the commercial satellite Ikonos. The wider-area view at top shows dirt logging roads (orange lines) and different types of forest in the area around the border of the Sangha and Likouala regions. The lower view is a close-up image that shows not only part of a logging road, but also felling sites (clearings where trees are cut down) and skid trails (paths where trees are dragged toward the road.) Individual trees or sections of trees stacked on the road at left look like matchsticks.
Two types of forest are shown in the top image. At bottom left is a tropical evergreen forest with an extremely dense canopy, a forest type known locally as limbali forest. Most of the rest of the scene is occupied by a more open forest in which stands of trees (dark green patches) are separated from each other by a sea of lower-growing plants (light green)
Link to EO Newsroom: New Images - Logging in Northern Republic of Congo
Monday, 9 July 2007
Country Information
Maps and information available
Link to Countries of the World : geography, tourism, politics, economy, culture
Sunday, 8 July 2007
Thursday, 5 July 2007
BBC NEWS | UK | Q&A: June floods
Flooding has been so extreme in some parts of the UK that the Army has been called in to lend assistance. Meteorologist Nina Ridge from the BBC weather centre explains how and why heavy rainfall has created so much chaos.
What has caused the extreme weather?
What role has 'run-off' rain played?
Is this weather normal for this time of year?
Link to BBC NEWS | UK | Q&A: June floods
Brazil launches slum reform drive
The Brazilian government has pledged $1.7bn (£850m) to improve conditions in Rio de Janeiro's shantytowns and counter the grip of the drugs gangs.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that investing in running water and other basic services was the best way to beat organised crime.
Link to BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Brazil launches slum reform drive
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
SCOPAC HOME PAGE
SCOPAC works to promote sustainable shoreline management, and to facilitate the duties and responsibilities of local authorities and other organisations managing the coastal zone of central southern England.
Link to SCOPAC HOME PAGE
Geography University guide
Geography has transformed as a university subject over the last decade. It is now a truly multidisciplinary subject tackling issues from urban regeneration to climate change and globalisation. As a result, almost all universities and colleges offer degree courses on some aspects of these areas. Courses listed here can vary enormously in their content. University College London emerges as the best ranked teaching course, leading a group of old universities at the head of the table, including Nottingham, Cambridge, Leeds and Oxford.
Link to Univ 2002 Geography | University guide | EducationGuardian.co.uk
Source of the Amazon River
Geographers long agreed that, while the Amazon might be the world’s largest river by volume, the longest was likely the Nile. In 2007, however, the BBC reported that a team of Brazilian researchers challenged that long-held belief. After an expedition to Peru to locate the Amazon’s precise source, the team described a different starting point. The team claimed that the river originated not in northern Peru, where it had been thought to begin, but in southern Peru, somewhere on snowcapped Mount Mismi (or Nevado Mismi). The team narrowed down the starting point to one of two places, but concluded that either one would nudge the Amazon’s length past that of the Nile
Link to EO Newsroom: New Images - Source of the Amazon River
Do a good turn to 30°C
Thanks for Val Vannet for this find. Excellent site with good practical advice.
Link to Do a good turn to 30°C
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Flood Response
If you are unlucky enough to live in one of ththere are a number of steps you can take to minimise damage before the waters invade your property and to speed up repairs once they start to recede. Several insurers have issued advice for those affected; here is a summary of their suggestions.
If you expect to be flooded
Check what kind of damage your buildings and home contents insurance policies will cover and whether you need to update them, particularly if you have new possessions and haven't increased your cover limit recently. Buildings insurance will cover the damage to the structure of your property and home contents insurance will cover your possessions.
Turn off gas, electricity and water at the mains supply.
Disconnect cookers, washing machines, dishwashers and other appliances connected by rigid pipes to gas and water supplies. This will prevent damage to the pipes if the appliance floats or moves during the flooding. Unplug all electrical items and store them upstairs.
Flood water can enter through drains. The easiest way of preventing this is by putting in plugs and weighing them down with sandbags. Disconnect the outflows of washing machines and dishwashers and block them with a cloth or plug to prevent backflow; place a sandbag in the toilet bowl.
Reduce the amount of water entering your property by using sandbags, plywood or metal or plastic sheeting placed on the outside of doors, windows and airbricks. Use silicone sealant to make doors and windows more resistant. Put sealant around the door/window then close and lock. You do not have to seal your home completely. After flooding, remove covers over airbricks as ventilation will aid the drying of your property.
Move furniture and electrical items upstairs and roll up rugs, carpets and curtains for suitable storage (if you are short of time, raise curtains by hanging them over the curtain poles). If furniture is too heavy to move, empty it and move contents upstairs. Raise it on bricks to minimise damage and move it away from walls; this can assist in drying the property later. Your insurer will expect you to minimise any claim in ways such as these.
Floodwater can contaminate foodstuffs and chemicals such as paint, pesticides, cleaning products and garage oils. These materials can also spill or leak into the floodwaters, causing additional clean-up problems. Keep such products upstairs or high up in your garage or shed.
During the flood
Do not touch the electrics.
Leave internal ground floor doors open (they may swell and jam if left closed).
Avoid contact with floodwaters; they may be contaminated with sewage.
Do not wade through deep floodwaters; manhole covers may have lifted, leaving dangerous unseen holes.
Do as instructed by the emergency services - you may have to be evacuated.
Although drivers can claim for damage caused by bad weather, this typically applies to parked vehicles. "Self-inflicted" damage caused by driving through water, thereby flooding the engine or interior, may not be covered. Drivers who chance their arm by driving through floods could face an expensive repair bill.
Coping with the aftermath
Commission immediate emergency pumping/repair work if necessary to protect your property from further damage. This can be undertaken without approval from your insurer. Remember to get receipts and let your insurer know, as it may wish to inspect the damage before permanent repairs are carried out.
Call your insurer as soon as possible and give full details of the damage.
Don't move back into a property that contains standing water - have it pumped out first. Clean and disinfect everything that may have come into contact with the floodwater.
If you haven't already done so, switch off the mains power supply. Don't go into rooms with standing water if the power is still on, and don't use electrical appliances affected by, or in contact with, moisture. Your electrical, gas and water systems should be checked and confirmed safe before they are turned back on. Wash taps and run them for a few minutes before use.
Move anything that is not too badly damaged upstairs or away from flood water where possible.
Fridges and freezers should be cleaned out as soon as possible and any food thrown away. If you have the relevant insurance cover, remember to keep a list of the food items for your claim and, if possible, take photographs.
Once the flood water has begun to recede and if weather permits, open all doors and windows during the day (but take care to ensure your house and valuables are secure).
When you've salvaged as much furniture as possible, start the drying out process by removing a couple of floorboards at each end of affected ground-floor rooms. You may want to borrow or hire dehumidifiers; use one for every two affected rooms and close the windows.
Help plaster to dry by removing wall coverings and skirting boards.
Clear out any mud or silt that has collected in airbricks. This will aid ventilation under floorboards and prevent rot.
Kitchen units are likely to have absorbed water, but may be salvageable. Try to dry them out, and wait for an adjuster to assess the damage.
Do not attempt to redecorate straight away.
Generally, masonry (brickwork or block work) should be largely unaffected by the water if it is allowed to dry out properly. The drying out process may take some time if the masonry has been saturated. As a guide, allow one month for every inch of wall thickness. Check with a decorator or other expert to ensure that the walls and other surfaces are fully dried out and, if necessary, treated to prevent mould.
Preparing for next time
Damage caused by the current floods will inevitably put upward pressure on insurance premiums. But not all insurers will be equally affected, so it will pay homeowners to shop around when it comes to renewing their home insurance.
Individual property owners can do much to increase the resistance of their properties to flood damage. Steps include replacing timber floors with concrete covered with tiles; replacing chipboard or MDF kitchen and bathroom units with plastic equivalents; replacing gypsum plaster with more water-resistant materials such as lime plaster or cement render; moving meters, boilers and electrical points well above likely flood level; and installing one-way valves into drainage pipes to prevent sewage backing up into the house. There are now some good options to fund any balance. For example, the Council of Mortgage Lenders has confirmed that lenders would normally be willing to consider extending loans to cover the additional costs of flood-resilient repairs, provided that the homeowner has sufficient equity and can afford to meet any additional repayments.
Source: How to cope with the floods | Yahoo! Finance
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