Kingdown Geography Blog

Sunday, 16 September 2007

Disease alert in flood-hit Africa

Severe flooding across Africa has wrecked hundreds of thousands of homes and left many people vulnerable to water-borne diseases, officials say.

Link to BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Disease alert in flood-hit Africa

ReliefWeb » Home Page

ReliefWeb is the world’s leading on-line gateway to information (documents and maps) on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. An independent vehicle of information, designed specifically to assist the international humanitarian community in effective delivery of emergency assistance, it provides timely, reliable and relevant information as events unfold, while emphasizing the coverage of "forgotten emergencies" at the same time.
ReliefWeb was launched in October 1996 and is administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

EXAMPLE: West Africa Floods

Link to ReliefWeb » Home Page

Thursday, 13 September 2007

AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT

Link to AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT

Met Office: 1961-90 mapped averages

1961-90 mapped averages

Select the elements below to view contoured UK maps of monthly, seasonal and annual averages. The analyses are based on 1 km grid-point data sets which are derived from station data covering the latest WMO recommended reference period (1961 - 1990).

Link to Met Office: 1961-90 mapped averages

Monday, 10 September 2007

Health Expectancy

The population of Great Britain has been living longer over the past 20 years, but the extra years have not necessarily been lived in good health. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (expected years of life in good or fairly good health) both increased between 1981 and 2001, with life expectancy increasing at a faster rate than healthy life expectancy.
Life expectancy is higher for females than for males. In 2001 the life expectancy at birth of females was 80.4 years compared with 75.7 years for males. However, life expectancy for males has been increasing faster than for females. There was an increase of 4.8 years in male life expectancy between 1981 and 2001. For females the corresponding increase was 3.6 years.
The gap in healthy life expectancy between males and females is smaller than for total life expectancy. In 2001, healthy life expectancy at birth was 67.0 years for males and 68.8 years for females, a gap of 1.8 years.
The difference between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy can be regarded as an estimate of the number of years a person can expect to live in poor health. In 1981 the expected time lived in poor health for males was 6.5 years. By 2001 this had risen to 8.7 years. Females can expect to live longer in poor health than males. In 1981 the expected time lived in poor health for females was 10.1 years, rising to 11.6 years in 2001.

Link to National Statistics Online

The Office for National Statistics measured "healthy life expectancy" - the age before ill-health strikes.

UK Govt Sustainable Development - Home

The past 20 years have seen a growing realisation that the current model of development is unsustainable. In other words, we are living beyond our means. From the loss of biodiversity with the felling of rainforests or over fishing to the negative effect our consumption patterns are having on the environment and the climate. Our way of life is placing an increasing burden on the planet.

The increasing stress we put on resources and environmental systems such as water, land and air cannot go on forever. Especially as the world's population continues to increase and we already see a world where over a billion people live on less than a dollar a day.

A widely-used and accepted international definition of sustainable development is: 'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' - Globally we are not even meeting the needs of the present let alone considering the needs of future generations.

Link to UK Govt Sustainable Development - Home

Human Development reports

"The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people's choices. In principle, these choices can be infinite and can change over time. People often value achievements that do not show up at all, or not immediately, in income or growth figures: greater access to knowledge, better nutrition and health services, more secure livelihoods, security against crime and physical violence, satisfying leisure hours, political and cultural freedoms and sense of participation in community activities. The objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives." Mahbub ul Haq

Human development is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. People are the real wealth of nations. Development is thus about expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value. And it is thus about much more than economic growth, which is only a means —if a very important one —of enlarging people ’s choices.

Link to HDR

Human Development Index - Encyclopedia of Earth

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of human development that is published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI provides an alternative to the common practice of evaluating a country’s progress in development based on per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The HDI measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development:

A long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth.
Knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weight) and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weight).
A decent standard of living, as measured by GDP per capita in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms in US dollars.

Link to Human Development Index - Encyclopedia of Earth

Wednesday, 5 September 2007

Introduction to Biomes

Biomes are the major regional groupings of plants and animals discernible at a global scale. Their distribution patterns are strongly correlated with regional climate patterns and identified according to the climax vegetation type. However, a biome is composed not only of the climax vegetation, but also of associated successional communities, persistent subclimax communities, fauna, and soils.

Link to Introduction to Biomes

Tuesday, 4 September 2007

Largest Slum in Africa

These are You tube links to some amazing ( and shocking) videos taken in Kibera

Link to YouTube - Kibera - Largest Slum in Africa

LINK Walking through Kibera

LINK Kibera Video

LINK Wikipedia

Vesuvius

Link to Vesuvius - National Geographic Magazine

Sunday, 2 September 2007

Pan African Conservation Education - Sharing ideas across communities

PACE covers seven different topics: Living with Wildlife, Water, Soil, Forests, Energy, Living by the Ocean and Urban Living. Through the topic pages, you can find out more about the projects featured in the PACE films, and download the Action Sheets and Environmental Education activities associated with each one

Link to Pan African Conservation Education - Sharing ideas across communities

Geosense: an online world geography game

Link to Geosense: an online world geography game

Saturday, 1 September 2007

MapMSG.com - Statetris-UK

Statetris is an interesting game mixing aspects of the popular game 'Tetris' and geography. Instead of positioning the typical Tetris blocks, you position states/countries at their proper location.

Try: Africa, Europe, France, Netherlands, UK, USA

Link to MapMSG.com - Statetris-UK

Friday, 31 August 2007

Earth Calendar

The Earth Calendar is a daybook of holidays
and celebrations around the world.
For the purpose of this web site a "holiday"
is any day that recognizes a cultural event,
and not necessarily a day when businesses are closed

Link to Earth Calendar

Jurassic Coast Resource packs

Link to Resource packs

2007 'probably wettest UK summer'

Torrential rain across the UK is likely to mean the summer of 2007 will have been the wettest since records began in 1914, Met Office figures suggest.

Provisional tallies show a total of 358.5mm (14.114in) of rain fell on the UK, narrowly beating the previous 1956 record of 358.4mm (14.110in).

Link to BBC NEWS | UK | 2007 'probably wettest UK summer'

Thursday, 30 August 2007

Sustainable Africa

Link to allAfrica.com: Sustainable Africa: Home

Saturday, 25 August 2007

WHO warns of global epidemic risk

New killer diseases are emerging faster than ever across the world, says the World Health Organization. In its report, "A Safer Future", experts highlighted several major threats to our health in the 21st century. But what are they?

Link to BBC NEWS | Health | WHO warns of global epidemic risk

Record number of people leave UK

More people left the UK last year than in any year since current records began in 1991, statistics show.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate that some 385,000 people left the UK for the long term in the year to mid-2006.

Link to BBC NEWS | UK | Record number of people leave UK

UK Population Grows

n mid-2006 the resident population of the UK was 60,587,000, of which 50,763,000 lived in England. The average age was 39.0 years, an increase on 1971 when it was 34.1 years. In mid-2006 approximately one in five people in the UK were aged under 16 and one in six people were aged 65 or over.
The UK has a growing population. It grew by 349,000 people in the year to mid-2006 (0.6 per cent). The UK population has increased by 8 per cent since 1971, from 55,928,000. Growth has been faster in more recent years. Between mid-1991 and mid-2006 the population grew by an average annual rate of 0.4 per cent and the average growth per year since mid-2001 has been 0.5 per cent.

Link to National Statistics Online

Thursday, 23 August 2007

Flooding in Asia

Millions hit by South Asia Floods (03/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6922484.stm
• South Asia considers flood lessons (03/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6929734.stm
• Devastating Floods hit South Asia (03/08/07)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6927389.stm
• Monsoon Floods displace 19 million (Guardian) (03/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2141060,00.html
Desperate bid to save Asian Flood Victims (05/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2141938,00.html
• Fears of epidemics follow lethal floods in Southern Asia (06/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2142266,00.html
• Agencies struggling to get Aid to flood victims (7/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2143280,00.html
• South Asia Flood Toll Rises (7/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6932636.stm
• Aid struggles to reach marooned millions after South Asia Floods (8/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2143744,00.html
• UK plea for South Asia Flood Cash (08/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6936154.stm
• South Asia Victims face health crisis (08/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6935847.stm
• South Asia Floods – Worst hit Areas (09.08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6929004.stm
• Surviving on snails and rats in Bihar (09/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6937267.stm
• Flood Rains hit New India Regions (09/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6938350.stm
• Infections spread as toll from Asian monsoon reaches 2000 (11/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2146672,00.html

Floods in South Asia Pictures
• In Pictures: Floods in South Asia (03/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6927778.stm
• In Pictures: Bangladesh Floods (06/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6933033.stm
• In Pictures: South Asia Flood Relief (07/08/07)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6935745.stm
• Flooding in Asia (Guardian Gallery) http://travel.guardian.co.uk/Guardian/environment/gallery/2007/aug/03/flooding.internationalnews

General Info about Monsoon
• The Asian Monsoon (BBC Weather) http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/understanding/monsoon.shtml
• What is the South Asian Monsoon http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6929988.stm

Magnitude 8.0 Earthquake off the Coast of Peru

Powerful Earthquake Rocks Peru (16/08/07) (Newsround) http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6940000/newsid_6948900/6948983.stm
• Scores Killed in Peru Earthquake (16/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6948888.stm
• Hundreds Dead in Powerful Peru Earthquake (16/08/07) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/16/wquake316.xml
• Peru Earthquake Kills 500 (16/08/07) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/16/wquake416.xml
• 450 killed in Peru Quake (16/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2149760,00.html
• Background: Peru Earthquakes (16/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2150290,00.html
• “The Earth was like Jelly” – hundreds die in Peru quake, but Lima escapes (The Guardian) (17/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2150628,00.html
• Peru coast hit by powerful aftershock (17/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2150891,00.html
• Fresh earthquake strikes Peru (17/08/07) – Newsround
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6950000/newsid_6950700/6950770.stm
• Peru rattled by fresh earthquake (17/08/07)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6951836.stm
• Dawn shines light on Pisco’s sorrow (17/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6951443.stm
• Peru Quake – Eyewitness Accounts (17/08/07)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6949537.stm
• Peru sends soldiers to quell quake looting (The Guardian) (19/08/07) http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,,2151928,00.html
• Hopes fade for Peru quake victims (20/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6955295.stm

Map of Earthquake Area - Where the earthquake happened (Good graphic from the Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/graphic/0,,2149958,00.html

Pictures - Peru Earthquake:

• In Pictures: Lima Earthquake (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/gallery/2007/aug/16/internationalnews?picture=330581318
• In Pictures – Peru Earthquake (16/08/07)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6949478.stm

Monday, 20 August 2007

Hurricane Dean's path of destruction

The first big hurricane of the season has battered its way through the Caribbean en route for Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Video links:
• Hurricane Dean strikes Mexico http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6950000/newsid_6956100?redirect=6956151.stm&news=1&nbram=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&asb=1
• Prediction for Dean’s Path http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6950000/newsid_6956400?redirect=6956461.stm&news=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&asb=1

Hurricane Information
• Hurricane Dean – including tracking information http://www.moreweather.com/tropics/moreweather.php3#DEAN
• Map of Hurricane Dean’s Path http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/024526.shtml?hwind120#contents
• Interactive Guide – Hurricanes Explained (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,,773980,00.html
• Hurricane Dean – are you affected? Have your say http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=7144&&edition=1&ttl=20070821145150
• Hurricane Dean hits the Caribbean http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/17082007news.shtml

Hurricane Dean - Pictures:
• In Pictures – In Dean’s Path (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2007/aug/20/1?picture=330600770
• In Pictures: Hurricane Dean (20/8/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6952788.stm
• In Pictures: Dean rushes for Mexico 21/08/07 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6956117.stm
• In Pictures: Hurricane Dean 20/08/07 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6955296.stm
• In pictures - Hurricane blasts Caribbean (20/08/07) http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6950000/newsid_6953900/6953956.stm

Link to BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Hurricane Dean's path of destruction

Saturday, 18 August 2007

Tropical Storm: Tracking Map HURRICANE DEAN

This is www.wunderground.com. There are some excellent amps here showing the development and progress of Hurricane Dean. Maps include:

Tracking, 5 Day forecast, Winds, Alerts, Storm History,

Try out FLASH TRACKER excellent images and data.

Link to Tropical Storm: Tracking Map : Weather Underground

Friday, 17 August 2007

Migration Information Source

The Migration Information Source provides fresh thought, authoritative data from numerous global organizations and governments, and global analysis of international migration and refugee trends. A unique, online resource, the Source offers useful tools, vital data, and essential facts on the movement of people worldwide.

Working with a team of international correspondents, we chronicle global migration movements, provide perspectives on current migration debates, and offer the tools and data from numerous global organizations and governments needed to understand migration. We do this in a way that is accessible to researchers, policy makers, journalists, and other opinion shapers.

Our advisory board and other prominent migration scholars who contribute to The Source include some of the most respected voices in the migration and refugee fields. The Source also relies on the good will of several global organizations and governments who make their data and research publicly available on our site.

Link to Migration Information Source

Thursday, 16 August 2007

London's drowning

With this summer's torrential downpours still fresh in the memory a new £25m disaster movie, The Flood, charts the devastation of central London. It's a dramatic vision, but could it really happen?

Animations of how the Thames Flood Barrier works and maps of areas affected

Link to BBC NEWS | Magazine | London's drowning

Wednesday, 15 August 2007

England's green belt

Think tank the Social Market Foundation has warned that two million homes will have to be built on green belt sites to meet government plans to tackle the housing shortage.

But what is the English green belt and why does it exist?

What is the green belt?

Link to BBC NEWS | UK | Q&A: England's green belt

Tuesday, 14 August 2007

Africat Foundation NAMIBIA

The AfriCat Foundation was founded in 1991 and officially registered as a non-profit organisation in August 1993. AfriCat has grown significantly since then and what started out primarily as an animal welfare organisation has over the years, identified the need to include a focus on education and research as being essential to our mission – the long-term conservation of large carnivores in Namibia.
The AfriCat Foundation concentrates on four objectives in working towards its mission:

• To create awareness and promote the tolerance of large carnivores among the farming community by assisting farmers in effective farm management techniques, including targeting problem predators as opposed to indiscriminate removal.

• To educate youth about large carnivores and environmental awareness.

• To research large carnivores, particularly cheetahs and leopards, on farmland and in captivity.

• To provide humane housing, treatment and care for orphaned and injured animals.

The website has links to

Animal Welfare , RESEARCH , EDUCATION , Newsletter, Adoption Programme ,

ACHIEVEMENTS

ECO-TOURISM PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BAOBAB EXPEDITIONS AND THE AFRICAT FOUNDATION

AfriCat is pleased to announce its latest eco-tourism/wildlife conservation partnership with Baobab Expeditions – specialists in luxury travel adventures.

Baobab Expeditions has pledged to donate £110 to AfriCat for each of its travellers that stay in one of the four lodges at Okonjima – the home of the AfriCat Foundation. The travellers will choose whether this gift is spent adopting one of the large carnivores in AfriCat's welfare programme or providing general support for the foundation's work to resolve the conflict between predators and farmers. During their stay at Okonjima they will have the opportunity to witness some of AfriCat's work and see some of the big cats in the welfare and rehabilitation programmes. The Baobab Expedition travellers will also become members of AfriCat UK for one year, free of charge.

Baobab Expeditions promotes tourism as an economic engine, enabling individuals to experience a wild and free Africa. Support through travel is a direct channel for lending a hand and raising the public's awareness of the conflict between predators and the farming community and the vulnerability of the future populations of these cats.

The Baobab Expeditions' philosophy encapsulates the three principles at the heart of AfriCat's work: care of the wildlife, care of the people and care of the land. For more information please see www.baobabexpeditions.com

Link to Africat - Cheetah, Leopard, Lion Rescue

EarthPortal

The Earth Portal is a comprehensive resource for timely, objective, science-based information about the environment. It is a means for the global scientific community to come together to produce the first free, expert-driven, massively scaleable information resource on the environment, and to engage civil society in a public dialogue on the role of environmental issues in human affairs. It contains no commercial advertising and reaches a large global audience.

The Earth Portal has three components:

The Encyclopedia of Earth, with over 2,000 articles, is produced and reviewed by 700 scholars from 46 countries.
The EarthForum provides commentary from scholars and discussions with the general public.
The EarthNews offers news stories on environmental issues drawn from many sources.

Link to EarthPortal » Home

UCAS Information

This information will assist you in completing your personal statement

Careers advice from Lancaster University

New Swindon

About us

The New Swindon Company was formed in 2002 to stimulate investment and co-ordinate plans for revitalisation of the town centre as a key component to achieving sustainable economic growth. The urban regeneration area is around 220 hectares and the major projects cover about 25% of the total.

Jointly funded by English Partnerships, the South West of England Regional Development Agency and Swindon Borough Council, The New Swindon Company is one of a limited number of Urban Regeneration Companies formed as a result of a Government initiative to breathe new life into key areas.

About us

The Regeneration Framework sets out the strategies for the seven major project areas. It is the result of detailed economic and performance analyses as well as public feedback. For more information on a specific project area, click on the project name above.

Link to New Swindon - About us

Sunday, 12 August 2007

Walk Score

What is Walk Score? We help homebuyers, renters, and real estate agents find houses and apartments in great neighborhoods. Walk Score shows you a map of what's nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment.

Link to Walk Score - Helping homebuyers, renters, and real estate agents find houses and apartments in great neighborhoods.

Devastating floods hit South Asia

Almost 20 million people have been displaced as some of the worst floods for years have hit a wide swathe of northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Link to BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Devastating floods hit South Asia

Thursday, 26 July 2007

Where has all the water gone?

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.

Link to BBC NEWS | UK | Where has all the water gone?

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.

Weblinks

SLN weblinks

Link to 7-11 Weblinks

'$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

ds1

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

NFDC Logo

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,