Monday 29 September 2008

Through My Eyes

Through My Eyes

Read about the impact of being uprooted from home and family, of encountering the violence of conflict, of the desire to help, and the fight to build a new life.

Through My Eyes

Thursday 25 September 2008

National Trust Names

search for a surname

Do you know where your surname comes from, or how many people you share it with? To find out more about your history, click on 'Search for a Surname'.

Welcome to the National Trust Names. website which presents the findings of a project based at University College London (UCL) that is investigating the distribution of surnames in Great Britain, both current and historic. It allows users to search the databases that we have created, and to trace the geography and history of their family names

National Trust Names

Sunday 21 September 2008

Wednesday 17 September 2008

A2 Climate Animations

Hadley cell profile, ITCZ, Pressure, Precipitation on a world map

slider allows different months to be chosen

http://daphne.palomar.edu/pdeen/Animations/23_WeatherPat.swf

http://www.wereldorientatie.net/SWF/Het%20klimaat.swf

Globe based on North and South America

Idealized Hadley cell, Tropical and midtropical components, High Latitude components, Upper atmosphere flow

Tuesday 16 September 2008

How our villages are fighting to stay alive | UK news | The Observer

Rural communities across the UK are suffering as schools, banks, post offices, pubs and GP surgeries close. New research by The Observer reveals that more and more villages are at risk as rural life is eroded. Radical action is needed to reverse the terminal decline

95 per cent of village halls are struggling to stay open

27 village pubs are closing a week

800 village shops are shutting each year

400 garages and filling stations are closing each year

100+ churches of all denominations are closing each year

7 rural schools are shutting annually

90 cottage hospitals are under threat

How our villages are fighting to stay alive UK news The Observer

BBC - Bruce Parry's Amazon - Home

Bruce herding llamas in the High Andes

Bruce Parry, presenter of the BBC's Tribe, has travelled the length of the Amazon to film a major new series for BBC Two. Follow his journey online through exclusive blogs, video and much more. The series is on BBC2 on Monday nights at 9pm.

BBC - Bruce Parry's Amazon - Home

Monday 15 September 2008

Tuesday 9 September 2008

BBC NEWS | Politics | New migrant worker rules outlined

The list of UK jobs likely to be open to workers from outside the EU has been unveiled as part of a new "points based" migration system.A panel of experts was asked by ministers to work out which type of jobs had shortages. The list includes skilled nurses and consultants, some engineering jobs, maths and English teachers.

Citizens of other EU states - except Bulgaria and Romania - are already entitled to work in the UK without restrictions.

Unskilled workers from other parts of the world are currently banned but highly qualified migrants or those with substantial sums to invest are allowed to live and work in the UK.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) list refers to "skilled workers" - those with the equivalent of two A Levels or NVQ Level 3. They must also have a good grasp of English, a job offer with potential earnings of £24,000 and enough money to support themselves until their first pay cheque if they want to work in the UK.

Among the occupations on it are:

  • Consultants and specialist nurses
  • Some engineering jobs, including chemical and civil engineers
  • Quantity surveyors
  • Maths and English teachers
  • Ship and hovercraft officers
  • Veterinary surgeons
  • Sheep shearers
  • Jockeys and horse trainers

Doctors from outside Europe will no longer be able to work in Britain as salaried GP, under the new rules.

BBC NEWS Politics New migrant worker rules outlined

Monday 8 September 2008

UN says eat less meat to curb global warming | Environment | The Observer

A joint of beef

UN says eat less meat to curb global warming Environment The Observer

82g The amount of protein the average Briton eats daily, of which 50g is meat, the equivalent of a chicken breast and lamb chop. The figure is relatively low for a developed country, but higher than developing nations and 25-50 per cent above the World Health Organisation recommendation.

8 The number of beef cattle we eat over an average lifetime. We also consume 36 sheep, 36 pigs and 550 poultry birds. Britons' meat consumption is now 50 per cent higher than it was 40 years ago.

500lb The amount of meat that is produced by the average cow.

1m tonnes The amount of beef we consume as a nation each year, along with 1.3 million tonnes of pork and bacon and 1.8 million tonnes of poultry.

990 litres The amount of water that is required to produce one litre of milk.

100kg The amount of methane emitted by the average cow every year. Methane is a greenhouse gas with an effect 23 times greater than carbon dioxide, so this is equal to 2,300 kgs per year, or almost the same as two return flights between London and New York, or driving 7,800 miles.

1.5 billion The estimated number of cows and bulls worldwide. They produce two-thirds of the world's ammonia, which is the principal cause of acid rain.

7lb The amount of grain it takes to produce just one pound of beef.

36.4kg The amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the production of just 1kg of beef, according to a recent Japanese study. It also releases fertilising compounds equivalent to: 340 grams of sulphur dioxide and 59 grammes of phosphate. It consumes 169 megajoules of energy. In other words, one kilo of beef is responsible for the same amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 250 kilometres, or the energy required to light a 100 watt bulb fo 20 days.

1kg The amount of carbon dioxide needed to produce one burger in a fast-food restaurant.

456 million The amount, in tonnes, of global meat production forecast for 2050 - almost double that of 2001. Half of the world's pork is now eaten in China, while Brazil is the second largest consumer of beef, after the United States of America.

BBC NEWS | Special Reports | The Box

Container with BBC News logo

BBC News embarks on a unique project telling the story of international trade by tracking a shipping container around the world for a year.

BBC NEWS Special Reports The Box

OSEI Image of the Day

OSEI Image of the Day

OSEI Image of the Day

Wednesday 3 September 2008

Dartmouth Flood Observatory

The information presented in this Archive is derived from a wide variety of news, governmental, instrumental, and remote sensing source. It is presented in order to facilitate research into the causes of extreme flood events, provide international warning of such floods, and improve widespread access to satellite-based measurements and mapping. The archive is "active" because current events are added immediately. Analysis using remote sensing data is also presently underway on past events; such additional information is added to this archive as it becomes available.

Dartmouth Flood Observatory

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Tracking Gustav on the web

NOAA satellite image of Gustav, 01/09

also

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/080829_sm_blog.24b13d24.html

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/archive.html?tstamp=200808

http://www.weather.com/multimedia/videoplayer.html?clip=11940&from=hp_video_3

BBC NEWS World Americas Tracking Gustav on the web

Food Miles and Food Miles Calculator

Food Miles and Food Miles Calculator - For all things Organic, Eco and Environmentally Friendly - Organiclinker.com