Will Africa join broadband revolution?

 A way may be emerging for East African countries to circumvent the mess in telecommunications in the region - and it is rising out of the sea.

Three main new fibre-optic cable lines are being laid

From having no undersea cable links to the rest of the world, East Africa is now poised to have three.

As a result, many businesses are investing in finger-sized underwater fibre-optic cables that will open doors to the rest of the world.

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Will Africa join broadband revolution?

Every house to have smart meter in £9bn scheme - Telegraph

Every house in the country will have a smart energy meter installed over the next decade in a bid to save consumers at least £100 million a year, the Government has promised.

Every house to have smart meter in £9bn scheme - Telegraph

EarthTrends: Searchable Database - Energy and Resources

Select the variable you wish to view from the list.

Electricity: Access to electricity, percent

Electricity: Electricity consumption per capita

Electricity: Total electricity production

Energy Consumption by Source: Biogas and liquid biomass

Energy Consumption by Source: Coal and coal products

Energy Consumption by Source: Hydroelectric

Energy Consumption by Source: Natural gas

EarthTrends: Searchable Database - Energy and Resources

Giant Scottish wind farm from the air

 

BBC NEWS | UK | Giant Scottish wind farm from the air

Pollution

 

StumbleUpon WebToolbar - GigaPica : Mooi Milieu!

BBC - Tribe - Dassanech

 

The lands of the Dassanech have seen severe and sustained droughts for many years. In August 2006, in the harshest of ironies, their lands were struck by severe flooding.Reports have estimated over 100 Dassanech lives have been lost. The Dassanech are a people living on the margins, having to constantly adapt to their changing environment. More »Steve Robinson, the series producer for Tribe, said: "We are very concerned that some of the people that our crew, and Bruce in particular, became friends with will have been affected by the flooding, as it has hit hard the area around Lake Turkana where Bruce stayed with the Dassanech people."

For up-to-date information visit BBC News and the International Red Cross.

For current reports on the flooding that has hit so many areas in the country over the last few months visit UN OCHA Ethiopia.

To find out more about the latest humanitarian developments in Ethiopia visit the UN OCHA weekly bulletin site.

January 2007 – We've had more news about the devastation caused by the flooding in the Omo Valley. We have been keeping in touch with the three groups we filmed in the area to check how they are coping with the floods. More »

BBC - Tribe - Dassanech

Can Vegetarians save the world ?

A small town in Belgium has gone meat-free one day a week. A sign of things to come, says one food historian

For decades, environmental arguments against eating meat have been largely the preserve of vegetarian websites and magazines. Just two years ago it seemed inconceivable that significant numbers of western Europeans would be ready to down their steak knives and graze on vegetation for the sake of the planet. The rapidity with which this situation has changed is astonishing.

Tristram Hunt visits a small town in Belgium that has gone meat-free one day a week | Environment | The Guardian

Ageing Britain series part one: Best places for retired people to live | UK news | The Observer

A dramatic 'age quake' is shaking Britain as the country grows older - for the first time ever, the number of people over 65 exceeds those under 16. Here, in the start of a new series looking at the profound financial, emotional and practical issues faced by a rising number of Britons, we report on the best places for retired people to live across the UK. Report by Tracy McVeigh

Ageing Britain series part one: Best places for retired people to live | UK news | The Observer

Tourism In The Cairngorms, Scotland - SAC (Scottish Agricultural College)

 

The Cairngorms officially became Scotland’s second National Park in September 2003. As well as being a National Park, this area is also used by for a number of tourist activities.

The Cairngorm funicular is a means of transport, pulled by cables over a track bed, allowing visitor access from the car park area up the mountain plateau. It was designed primarily for winter sports enthusiasts (skiers and snow-boarders) to replace the outdated chairlift system, but is in use all year round. In summer, however, visitors are not allowed to leave the restaurant viewing platform area, due to the potential damage their walking would inflict on the fragile mountain environment and local ecosystem. Much controversy surrounded the granting of the permission for the development to take place, with heated conflicts between conservationists and the developers

Tourism In The Cairngorms, Scotland - SAC (Scottish Agricultural College)

Cairngorm Speyside Deer Management Group

Let me first explain what a Deer Management Group is. The deer herd in the Highlands is wild and largely unconfined by fencing. Therefore in different seasons and wind conditions, red deer will move across different grounds and estates. The traditional make up of highland estates has changed much in the last 30 years and so there will be many different ideas, or aims for land management. It is vital therefore that the different land managers speak to each other to co-ordinate and co-operate over their policy towards deer.

It is generally recognised that red deer, while being a vital wild resource and the source of significant employment opportunities, may be destructive, and some areas have to receive protection from them. Again the extent and severity of that protection has to be a topic that involves all land managers in the area.

Go to DEER management plan

Cairngorm Speyside Deer Management Group

The Cairngorms Campaign Scotland - Welcome to the Cairngorms Campaign

The Cairngorms Campaign is a membership organisation, welcoming individuals and groups as members who support its aims of protection and appreciation of the area.The Cairngorms Campaign strives to prevent unsustainable, damaging developments and argues for better management of the Cairngorms area. It works with landowners, managers, local authorities, government and agencies to this end.

The Cairngorms Campaign Scotland - Welcome to the Cairngorms Campaign

Building ban on second homes in Cairngorms - Times Online

WEALTHY outsiders are to be banned from building new holiday homes in the Cairngorms National Park under plans aimed at stopping rural communities from becoming tourist “ghost towns”. The park wants to restrict the sale of new housing within its 1,467-square-mile boundaries to people who live, work or have family links in the area. It means that outsiders will no longer be allowed to buy or build new housing for use as second homes or as holiday homes for rent. The Cairngorms is Britain’s largest national park, with a vast mountain wilderness at its heart. It encompasses large areas of the Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire and Angus and is home to 17,000 people and 25 per cent of Britain’s threatened species.

continued

Building ban on second homes in Cairngorms - Times Online

Glenmore Lodge

We are Scotland's National Outdoor Training Centre located in the heart of Cairngorms National Park. Learn, develop or qualify in an adventure sport of your choice. Our goal is to inspire adventure by teaching beginners, coaching intermediate/advanced and delivering training and assessment courses for leaders and instructors. Our role is as a national resource to the outdoor industry and community. Whether you are an individual, company, freelancer or offical body, we are here for you.

Adventure Activity Courses Holidays Scotland UK | National Outdoor Training Centre | Glenmore Lodge

Sport Scotland

 

We are the national agency for sport in Scotland.  We put sport first.

We passionately believe in the benefits of sport, from the enjoyment and sense of achievement that participation brings, to the shared pride that national success generates. 

We believe that sport makes a unique contribution to life in Scotland, helping to make us a wealthier, fairer, smarter, healthier, greener, safer and stronger nation.

Our mission is to encourage everyone in Scotland to discover and develop their own sporting experience, helping to increase participation and improve performances in Scottish sport.

About us home

Future of the Cairngorms

The Cairngorms are Britain's premier mountain range. Their scale, their altitude, and their value as wilderness country - for recreation and for nature conservation - are without equal in these islands. They stand near the centre of Scotland, between the straths of the rivers Dee and Spey.

http://www.nemt.org.uk/future.htm

Transboundary Aquifers of the World - Isarm

PDF map available for downloading

The map is about Transboundary Aquifers (TBAs). It shows the present state of information regarding the occurrence and extent of TBAs world-wide. The intention of the map is to provide a global overview of these important shared water resources and to encourage their further assessment. The back of the map contains an introduction to a methodology for assessment of TBAs

Transboundary Aquifers of the World - Isarm

Lake Powell, Utah : Image of the Day

In southern Utah, the Colorado River, halted by Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam, creates Lake Powell, a meandering, narrow reservoir that follows the contours of the river. In the early twenty-first century, this modern marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: severe, prolonged drought in the American Southwest. Combined with water withdrawals that many believe are not sustainable, the drought has taken its toll on Lake Powell water levels.

Lake Powell, Utah : Image of the Day

Case Study Mexico To USA

View more presentations from Liz Smith.

BBC News Player - Park resort plan considered

VIDEO

A major development centred around a holiday resort is to be considered by Cairngorms National Park Authority's planning committee.

BBC News Player - Park resort plan considered

Scottish mountain snow melting

VIDEO

BBC NEWS | UK | Scottish mountain snow melting