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.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Monday, 15 September 2008
Sunday, 14 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
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
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
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
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
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Waterfootprint.org: Water footprint and virtual water
People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The water footprint of an individual, business or nation is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual, business or nation.
Waterfootprint.org: Water footprint and virtual water
Revealed: the massive scale of UK's water consumption | Environment | The Guardian
The scale of British water consumption and its impact around the world is revealed in a new report today, which warns of the hidden levels needed to produce food and clothing.
Revealed: the massive scale of UK's water consumption Environment The Guardian
Monday, 18 August 2008
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Grand Canyon glass Skywalk opens
The Grand Canyon's Skywalk has been inaugurated with hundreds of invited guests getting stunning views over the canyon through its glass walkway.Rising 4,000ft (1,220m) from the canyon's floor and 70ft (20m) beyond its rim, the Skywalk is being described as an engineering first.
BBC NEWS World Americas Grand Canyon glass Skywalk opens
Sunday, 10 August 2008
BBC NEWS | Business | Global credit crunch, facts and figures
The panic in world financial markets has led to sharp falls in share prices and led to the contraction of credit markets. BBC News looks at how key indicators around the world have moved as recession fears grow.
BBC NEWS | Business | Global credit crunch, facts and figures
Friday, 8 August 2008
Olympic Medal Count Map - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
Circles are sized by the number of medals each country won in past summer Olympic Games. Click on a country to display a list of its medal winners
Olympic Medal Count Map - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Manufactured landscapes: The biggest nuclear power plants.
A blog dedicated to spectacular manufactured landscapes around the world
Manufactured landscapes: The biggest nuclear power plants.
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Friday, 1 August 2008
The rains have come, the land is lush but Ethiopians still go hungry
The green highlands of West Badawacho in south-west Ethiopia are not a place where you would expect to find hunger. The land is fertile and lush. Rain falls on fields covered with waist-high maize and red flowers dot the tree-lined tracks leading deep into rural farming land.
But West Badawacho is in the grip of the worst "green famine" it has experienced in decades and severe malnutrition can be found in many of the villages dotted among these fields. Here, and across Ethiopia, drought, high population density, successive failed rains and rapidly rising food prices are dovetailing to create a crisis. Ethiopia is bearing the brunt of the food shortages currently sweeping across east Africa threatening the lives of millions.
The rains have come, the land is lush but Ethiopians still go hungry | Environment | The Guardian
The Closure of the Docks - The London borough of Barking and Dagenham.
In the 1960s the amount of goods handled in the Port of London reached record levels. Yet in 1967 the East India Dock closed, followed one year later by the London and St Katharine Docks.
At the beginning of the 1980s the last of the upstream docks closed when the Royal Docks stopped operations in 1981.
To understand why this happened in such a short space of time we must look at important changes which had been taking place since the Second World War. The full force of these changes hit the docks in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Closure of the Docks - London Docklands History for GCSE - The London borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Welcome to the Canary Wharf Group plc website
Canary Wharf is a thriving space and vibrant business district with a wide range of shops, restaurants, pubs and wine bars, as well as healthcare and leisure facilities and an extensive arts and events programme.
The vision of Canary Wharf is now a reality. Leading international companies enjoy the highest quality buildings, facilities and infrastructure within London's newest business district.
Dramatic changes are happening all around Canary Wharf. As the working and residential population increases, the area surrounding the Estate continues to grow into thriving living and working environment.
In design terms, Canary Wharf is one of the most highly specified urban areas in the world. For attention to details both on buildings and in the streetscape, it is virtually impossible to find a contemporary comparison.
Welcome to the Canary Wharf Group plc website
Disasters
Natural disasters come in many different forms and with different intensities. Technology can predict some events and increase our warning time, but everyone needs to do his or her part by preparing in advance. Preparing will also decrease your recovery time if a disaster strikes where you live.
Di.sasters.com provides you with preparedness content, tracking map gadgets, disaster news and a community to share your experiences, photos and stories.
Stay informed on:
- Earthquakes
- Floods
- Hurricanes
- Tornadoes
- Volcanoes
- Wildfires
- and be prepared.
Disasters
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
BBC NEWS | Magazine | The filthy air conundrum
Beijing is taking drastic measures to improve its air quality in the run-up to the Olympics. But is it possible to conquer air pollution in a short space of time?
In China's capital city, emergency measures are afoot.
It is nine days until the games begin. Beijing has a reputation for bad air pollution and if the national stadium is shrouded in smog on the first day of the games, the embarrassment will be palpable.
Driving through the city is restricted to cars with even or odd number plates on alternating days. Factory emissions have been reduced and some building sites shut down.
BBC NEWS Magazine The filthy air conundrum
EarthTrends: Searchable Database - Population, Health and Human Well-being
Example of data available:
Population, Health and Human Well-being
SEARCHABLE DATABASE
Select the variable you wish to view from the list.
Access to Information: Broadband internet subscribers
Access to Information: Cellular mobile telephone subscribers
Access to Information: Cellular mobile telephone subscribers per 1000 people
Access to Information: Homes with personal computers
EarthTrends: Searchable Database - Population, Health and Human Well-being
EO Newsroom: New Images - Sea Surface Temperature and Hurricane Bertha
On land, the passage of a severe storm might be marked by fallen trees or swollen streams. In the ocean, a hurricane leaves a swath of cold water in its path. That trail of cold water marks the passage of Hurricane Bertha through the North Atlantic Ocean in this sea surface temperature image, taken by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on July 7, 2008. Water that is warm enough to fuel a hurricane—about 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit)—is yellow and orange, while cooler water is blue and white.
EO Newsroom: New Images - Sea Surface Temperature and Hurricane Bertha
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Olympics environment: Beijing shuts all building sites and more factories to clear the smog | World news | The Guardian
Beijing's Olympic organisers are planning new emergency measures to reduce pollution after the draconian steps introduced a week ago failed to stop a grimy haze from smothering the host city.
Air quality has failed to reach national standards for four of the seven days since the city took more than 1m cars off the roads and shut hundreds of factories.
With less than two weeks until the opening ceremony, organisers are planning more drastic steps to ensure that the "Greyjing" tag does not undermine the promise of a green Olympics and force endurance events such as the marathon, triathlon and 10km open-water swim to be postponed.
According to the China Daily, all building sites and more factories in and around Beijing may be temporarily closed if the air quality deteriorates during the games.
Olympics environment: Beijing shuts all building sites and more factories to clear the smog World news The Guardian
Haiti: Mud cakes The Guardian
Brittle and gritty - and as revolting as they sound - these are "mud cakes". For years they have been consumed by impoverished pregnant women seeking calcium, a risky and medically unproven supplement, but now the cakes have become a staple for entire families.
Haiti: Mud cakes become staple diet as cost of food soars beyond a family's reach World news The Guardian
Saturday, 26 July 2008
BBC NEWS | Business | Mumbai's slum life poses world problem
Mumbai - according to the UN - has a population of 19 million. And the UN forecasts that total will rise to more than 26 million by 2025. At that point, it would be the most heavily populated "urban agglomeration" in the world, apart from Tokyo and its surroundings. Mumbai's increase in population will partly be caused by increasing life expectancy and partly by migration from other, poorer, parts of India. Although Mumbai is India's commercial capital and rents for luxury apartments are some of the highest in the world, it is estimated that more than half the city's population live in slums. And controversial plans to redevelop the slums highlight some of the problems faced by mega-cities around the world.
BBC NEWS | Business | Mumbai's slum life poses world problem
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Benidorm History Benidorm Old Photos
In 1956 the town mayor approved plans to build the now famous
avenues along the Levante which would welcome at first Spanish
tourists and later those from Holland, Germany and Britain. The first
package holidays to Benidorm for as little as 21 euro for a week
half board in the four star Delfin Hotel including air travel to
Valencia airport which opened in 1933. In those early years the
coach trip from Valencia took four and a half hours. Late evening
arrivals when hotel kitchens were closed necessitated a stop at a
road side Tapas bar where a bottle of wine would only cost 9
pesetas and dinner 15 pesetas.
Alicante airport did not open until April1967. Once opened this
was the biggest contributing factor to Benidorm´s success as a
holiday resort, together with the introduction of modern jet airliners.
These made flying more cost effective and for the first time
enabled the ordinary family to enjoy a basic holiday abroad. This
was the beginnings of the end for many seaside destinations in
Britain such as the channel islands which saw tourist numbers
decline rapidly. Passenger numbers reached 8.9 million in 2005
and a new terminal is due to open in 2009 to cope with the
increased air traffic of which 80% arrives from foreign destinations.
Benidorm History Benidorm Old Photos
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Association of Public Health Observatories - Health Profiles Interactive
Health Profiles Interactive is a service new to Health Profiles 2008. It was designed to allow users to select indicators and areas for comparison through a map or list in an intuitive visual interface including the Health Profiles spine chart format.
The interactive atlases have been produced at several different geography levels to allow indicator comparisons over these geographies.
Association of Public Health Observatories - Health Profiles Interactive
Monday, 14 July 2008
China's £4bn drive to buy Africa's mineral wealth - Telegraph
Full scale work by the Chinese begins to rebuild 2,050 miles of roads in the Democratic Republic of Congo, left to rot in the rainforest after the Belgian colonialists pulled out 48 years ago and further shattered by seven years of war.
The vast project, which will triple Congo's current paved road network, is part of China's largest investment in Africa, a £4.5 billion infrastructure-for-minerals deal signed in January.
China's £4bn drive to buy Africa's mineral wealth - Telegraph
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
English dialect vocabulary
Recordings of all sorts of UK dialects and accents
English dialect vocabulary
BBC Correspondents Map by Stuart Pinfold
This is a map showing the location of news correspondants. Great for Geography in the news items
BBC Correspondents Map by Stuart Pinfold
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