Is any wonder that I take medication three times a day, or need a dose of nicotine and music just to feel the earth spin beneath me?

I am one of seven billion on this planet.

Occasionally, the thought is comforting, that this life is meant only to please me. It's absolutely impossible to please anyone else with only my sheer existence. I can only make my decisions based on my analysis of their consequences and hope to God that someone won't die along the way. And even if they do, I can't do a damn thing about it.

Still, other times, the thought makes me spit. My ego takes over, and I want desperately to be bigger than I am. I want to scream as loud as I can, thinking that I can outshout the billions of others. I gnash my teeth in disappointment, in despair, because I feel I've failed. I'm insignificant.

And yet, I am not.

After all, I'm a lover, a friend, a daughter, a sister. I can never drop these labels on my own-fate must have his hand in it.

So maybe I am a lump of clay, molded by the hands of fate. Take the razor blade out, put the cigarette in, pull the cigarette out, put in rehab, pull out of rehab, adjust this, trim that...

And I'm left on the rack-as is.

Irregular, like a toss-out at Ross.

Hey, it's where I shop.
It's where I got this sweater.

Patches...

I always wonder what percentage of the homes on this planet have something in them from IKEA. Of course who's to say there isn't an intergalactic franchise out there somewhere, it's not beyond the unimaginable.

I know that there isn't a room in our house that hasn't got something from IKEA in it. Take my office for instance. I am sitting in my IKEA cream swivel chair, at my glass 'scripted' IKEA desk, underneath 2 IKEA glass shelves and between 2 IKEA white book cases. That's before I even turn around to face the set of IKEA glass topped drawers behind me, which sit underneath 3 IKEA orchid canvas prints. I hasten to add that the other rooms in the house aren't quite so Swedish in their design and I have never had anyone come to visit and have them ask for a yellow bag and a tape measure at the door.

It's actually quite incredible if you think that the shop, founded back in 1943 by Inggar Kamprad, a 17 year old Swedish boy  who started off by selling pens, watches, jewellery and nylon stockings, has since gone on to become the world's largest furniture store, with 120,000 employees based in more than 29 countries, selling just under 11,000 products.

Incidentally the name IKEA is an abbreviation for "Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd" which is the initial letters of his first and last name, the farm where he grew up and the town he lived in.

Despite claiming that the reason you can never find a member of staff is so that the prices can be kept low, IKEA must surely be making more money per second than their customers can pocket the free pencils. But that said, it is unofficially the world’s largest charitable organization, so can be forgiven for mercilessly emptying out our bank accounts time after time.

I have to say I do love IKEA. There's no where else quite like it. There's certainly no other shop that has the power to convince me that I simply have to have something, that half an hour before I never even knew existed. Every time I go there I spot another weird and wonderful gadget designed to save me time and space. I discover a new and improved way to arrange my clothes, display my books and stack my spices and I always find a new range of crockery that's just crying out to be bought.

It's the sort of shop where you go with the intention of buying some bag clips and a couple of candles and then somehow find yourself coming through the checkout (or should I say slinking through, while silently praying that your credit card can take the battering) with a Billy Book book case, an assortment of glasses that you have no place to store, a single mattress, a new bathroom sink, 8 large wicker baskets that will now need filling and a ceiling light. One that comes in a box the size of a pack of cards and requires an advanced diploma in origami  to put together.

The fact that all of these flat packed and bulky items are highly unlikely to even make it into your car is neither here no there, unless of course your small 4 door hatchback has somehow  magically metamorphasised into a horsebox whilst you have been shopping. Then again, I have seen someone squeeze a single mattress into a Mini Cooper before and we once fitted an entire kitchen into our 7 seater, so the impossible it seems, can sometimes be done.

For all these reasons above I have to say that I also hate IKEA. OK, so maybe not hate. I could never hate it, I just wish that I had more resistance to the hypnotic hold that it seems to have over me once I walk underneath the blue and yellow flags.

On so many visits I have walked the entire way through the store (few people dare stray off the arrows and cut through the displays), written endless lists on multiple bits of paper and spent hours agonising over what will go where. Then I reach the warehouse and find that, surprise surprise, 10/15 items on the list are currently 'Out of Stock'. Worse still there is no known delivery date and I am not allowed to reserve whatever it is I need when it arrives.

A classic example is when I brought the desk that I am at now. There was only 1 of the leg supports (I needed 2) left in the store. I ask you, why 1? Do they sell many tables without legs, or legs without tables? Why did someone else only buy 1 leg? It took 2 more trips to the store before the elusive leg finally appeared and my desk, which was wedged up on a bedside table, stopped wobbling.

Still can't complain, where else allows you to kit out a whole house in around 4 hours.

That's allowing 30 minutes to pick out the items you want from the catalogue, an hour to find them as you slowly walk behind other people 'display shopping' at a snails pace, another 30 minutes struggling to get the flat pack boxes off the top shelf in the 'help yourself' warehouse and then the final 2 hours, stuck in a queue waiting for your 'too big to carry' items to be wheeled out from within the belly of the IKEA beast.

Of course this estimated time doesn't allow for the additional 3 hours that you will later spend driving back to the shop, to buy the bag clips and candles that you forgot to buy the last time. Then queue up for that all important screw that happened to be missing from the original bookcase. The one that is now in several unusual looking pieces and is scattered across your living room floor.

Arhhh, what a store. You've got to love the way they just make you keep coming back for more.

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SATELIT PLUTO

Dua satelit alami Pluto yang baru saja ditemukan akhirnya diberi nama Nix dan Hydra. Demikian dilaporkan oleh AFP. Nama itu telah disetujui oleh Persatuan Astronomi Internasional (IAU) yang bermarkas di Paris, Perancis.
Pluto adalah planet terluar dalam Tata Surya. Satelitnya yang terbesar ditemukan pada tahun 1978 dan diberi nama Charon, sementara dua satelit kecil yang diberi nama Nix dan Hydra baru ditemukan pada tahun 2005 oleh astronom Amerika Serikat menggunakan Teleskop Hubble.
Nama baru bagi kedua satelit Pluto itu sudah mengikuti sistem penamaan Tata Surya, yaitu berangkat dari mitologi Yunani dan Romawi. IAU sendiri merupakan lembaga internasional yang berwenang dalam pemberian nama benda-benda angkasa.
Dalam mitologi Yunani, Nyx adalah nama dewi kegelapan yang mirip dengan penyebutan dalam mitos Mesir, Nix. Hydra adalah monster yang mengerikan yang tubuhnya menyerupai ular dan memiliki sembilan kepala. Kedua nama itu dianggap cocok, sebab nama Pluto sendiri dalam mitos, merupakan nama dewa bawah laut.
Pluto hingga kini masih diperdebatkan statusnya sebagai planet kesembilan dalam Tata Surya. Garis edarnya yang tidak seperti kedelapan planet lainnya serta ukurannya yang sangat kecil dianggap tidak memenuhi syarat untuk disebut planet. Beberapa astronom malah mengusulkan agar Pluto dianggap sebagai batu karang saja.
Pluto ditemukan pada tahun 1930 oleh astronom Amerika Serikat, Clyde Tombaugh, dan menjadi planet yang paling sulit diteliti. Dibutuhkan waktu 48 tahun untuk mengetahui keberadaan Charon, dan 27 tahun untuk menemukan Nix dan Hydra.
Pada bulan Januari 2006, para astronom telah memberikan data ukuran Charon yang lebih akurat, yaitu berdiameter sekitar 1.212 kilometer atau sekitar separuh ukuran Pluto (2.300 kilometer). Sementara, ukuran Nix dan Hydra antara 48 sampai dengan 165 kilometer.
AFP © 2006
Anggota Tata Surya Mungkin Bertambah Hingga 12B
Para astronom seluruh dunia dibawah payung International Astronomical Union (IAU) telah menghabiskan waktu dua tahun untuk menggodok suatu kriteria yang membedakan antara “planet” dengan “anggota tata surya” yang berukuran lebih kecil semisal komet dan asteroid. Apabila draft kriteria ini disetujui dalam konferensi IAU yang diadakan pada 14-25 Agustus 2006 di Praha, Republik Ceko, maka jumlah planet anggota tata surya akan bertambah dari 9 menjadi 12 planet.
Ketiga planet “baru” tersebut adalah Ceres (yang tadinya dikenal sebagai asteroid terbesar), Charon (satelit Pluto), dan 2003 UB313, melengkapi kedelapan planet “klasik” lainnya. Dengan demikian, susunan anggota tata surya yang baru, mulai dari yang jaraknya paling dekat dengan matahari, masing-masing adalah: Merkurius, Venus, Bumi, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturnus, Uranus, Neptunus, Pluto, Charon, dan 2003 UB313.
Berdasarkan draft kriteria tersebut, sebuah objek setidaknya harus memenuhi dua kondisi agar layak menyandang sebutan “planet”. Pertama, objek tersebut harus mengorbit mengelilingi sebuah bintang, dan bukan berupa sebuah bintang. Kedua, objek tersebut harus berukuran cukup besar (atau lebih tepatnya, harus cukup masif) sehingga gravitasinya cukup kuat untuk membentuknya menjadi objek yang sferis (bundar). Dalam hal ini, massa objek harus diatas 5 x 1020 kg dengan diameter lebih besar dari 800 km.
Satu hal yang menarik adalah dinaikannya status Charon dari semula hanya satelit Pluto menjadi sebuah planet. Ini terkait dengan salah satu kriteria yang menyebutkan bahwa jika dua buah objek saling mengorbit, tetapi pusat massanya berada di angkasa lepas, yakni tidak berada di dalam permukaan salah satu objek, maka objek yang kedua itu juga layak disebut sebagai planet.
Selain itu, akan ditetapkan pula kelompok planet pluton, yakni planet-planet yang memiliki sifat fisik yang mirip dengan Pluto. Katagori ini melengkapi dua lainnya yang sudah lebih dahulu dikenal: planet terestrial, yakni planet yang tersusun atas batuan (Merkurius, Venus, Bumi, Mars, Ceres), dan planet jovian, yang terdiri dari gas (Jupiter, Saturnus, Uranus, Neptunus).
Draft ini akan didiskusikan dan diperbaiki selama konferensi dan akan ditetapkan melalui pemungutan suara (voting) yang akan berlangsung pada sesi kedua koferensi pada 24 Agustus 2006 mendatang.
___
Update: Pemungutan suara di akhir konferensi akhirnya memutuskan untuk mencabut status keplanetan Pluto. Dengan demikian, jumlah anggota tata surya malahan berkurang menjadi hanya 8 planet. Pluto kini digolongkan sebagai planet kerdil (dwarf planet) bersama dengan Charon dan Ceres.

ron3yboy@gmail.com

Was Sara im Moment hört: Be Be Your Love- Rachael Yamagata

I am enjoying the New Stage! How about You? Its Very Cool! Planet Y Is a Very Good Theme! Here is a Pic Of The Stage!

Also, there Came a New Pin! It is a Microscope At The Sports Shop!

I Hope You all Think The New Stage Is Great!

*Update* Rockhopper Is Coming! His Ship Is In The Binoculars! I Can't Wait!

-Sweetkid123

JAKARTA, KAMIS - Ribuan teks, gambar, dan foto telah dipaket dan dikirimkan ke planet asing yang berjarak 20 tahun cahaya dari Bumi atau setara 120 triliun kilometer. Pesan tersebut merupakan kumpulan hasil karya jutaan pengguna situs jejaring sosial Bebo melalui kompetisi yang disebut A Message From Earth.

Total terdapat 501 karya yang terpilih untuk dikirim ke luar angkasa dengan harapan muluk diterima alien dan dibalas. Seluruh karya dalam bentuk digital itu telah diterjemahkan ke dalam format biner dan dipancarkan melalui gelombang radio dari sebuah teleskop radio raksasa RT-70 milik Badan Antariksa Nasional di Ukraina.

Pengiriman pesan telah dilakukan Kamis (9/10) pukul 13.00 WIB. Oli Madgett dari Bebo mengatakan pesan tersebut sampai ke Bulan dalam 1,7 detik kemudian, dampai Mars dalam 4 menit, dan akan meninggalkan tata surya sebelum Jumat (10/10) pagi.

Target terakhir yang dituju adalah Planet Gliese 581C. Pesan tersebut baru akan sampai ke planet tersebut pada awal 2029. Gliese 581C merupakan salah satu planet ekstrasolar yang padat dan mengelilingi bintang serupa Matahari sehingga sering disebut super-Bumi.

"Pesan dari Bumi merepresentasikan kesempatan bagi pemukim digital hari ini untuk selalu terhubugn dengan sains dan alam semesta yang lebih luas secara sederhana, menyenangkan, dan mendalam," ujar Mark Charkin, jurubicara Bebo.

Ada tidaknya makhluk lain selain manusia nun jauh di sana bukan hal yang utama. Kalaupun ada, apakah mereka dapat mengerti pesan tersebut juga tidak terlalu penting.

"Yang penting mungkin sangat sederhana, paling tidak ini bukit bahwa kita cukup pandai membuat pemancar radio," ujar Seth Shostak, seorang astronom senior dari Search of Estraterestrial Institute (SETI) yang aktif melakukan pencarian terhadap alien.

Jadi, kalau ada alien yang menangkap pesan tersebut, mereka tahu ada makhluk yang sepintar mereka. Selain itu, mereka dapat melacak ke Bumi, asal gelombang dipancarkan.
WAH ]]> http://bigbracket.wordpress.com/?p=530 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:11:40 +0000 dinesh1201 http://bigbracket.bg.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/save-the-beautiful-nature/ [/caption] ]]> http://bombmatt.wordpress.com/?p=1245 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:00:17 +0000 BOMB Matt http://bombmatt.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/drunken-monkey-tech-episode-55-is-available-now/ Yep... pretty tight turnaround from the last episode, but we had a lot of news to cover.

Topics include: LittleBigPlanet Beta, Halo 3: Recon, Tekken 6 on XBox360, Nintendo DSi, Quantum Theory for PS3, PSPPlus!, and a whole lot more!

Get it now: http://feeds.feedburner.com/dmt

Iraq War Pollution Equals 25 Million Cars

Photo: Burning oil fields in Iraq by Shawn Baldwin

The greenhouse gases released by the Iraq war thus far equals the pollution from adding 25 million cars to the road for one year says a study released by Oil Change International, an anti petroleum watchdog.  The group’s main concerns are the environmental and human rights impacts of a petroleum based economy.

The study, released last March on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, states that total US spending on the war so far equals the global investment needed through 2030 to halt global warming.

Of course skeptics and oil companies will be right to ask how these numbers were calculated.  The group claims Iraq war emissions estimates come from combat, oil well fires, increaesd gas flaring, increased cement manufacturing for reconstruction, and explosives.

The Report: A Climate of War

Source

“Warfare is inherently destructive of sustainable development. States shall therefore respect international law providing protection for the environment in times of armed conflict and cooperate in its further development, as necessary.” – 1992 Rio Declaration

The application of weapons, the destruction of structures and oil fields, fires, military transport movements and chemical spraying are all examples of the destroying impact war may have on the environment. Air, water and soil are polluted, man and animal are killed, and numerous health affects occur among those still living. This page is about the environmental effects of wars and incidents leading to war that have occurred in the 20th and 21st century.

Timeline of wars

Africa

“My hands are tied
The billions shift from side to side
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
For the love of God and our human rights
And all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands time can't deny
And are washed away by your genocide
And history hides the lies of our civil wars” – Guns ‘n Roses (Civil War)

In Africa many civil wars and wars between countries occurred in the past century, some of which are still continuing. Most wars are a result of the liberation of countries after decades of colonialization. Countries fight over artificial borders drawn by former colonial rulers. Wars mainly occur in densely populated regions, over the division of scarce resources such as fertile farmland. It is very hard to estimate the exact environmental impact of each of these wars. Here, a summary of some of the most striking environmental effects, including biodiversity loss, famine, sanitation problems at refugee camps and over fishing is given for different countries.

Congo war (II) – Since August 1998 a civil war is fought in former Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The war eventually ended in 2003 when a Transitional Government took power. A number of reasons are given for the conflict, including access and control of water resources and rich minerals and political agendas. Currently over 3 million people have died in the war, mostly from disease and starvation. More than 2 million people have become refugees. Only 45% of the people had access to safe drinking water. Many women were raped as a tool of intimidation, resulting in a rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV-AIDS. The war has a devastating effect on the environment. National parks housing endangered species are often affected for exploitation of minerals and other resources. Refugees hunt wildlife for bush meat, either to consume or sell it. Elephant populations in Africa have seriously declined as a result of ivory poaching. Farmers burn parts of the forest to apply as farmland, and corporate logging contributes to the access of poachers to bush meat. A survey by the WWF showed that the hippopotamus population in one national park decreased from 29,000 thirty years previously, to only 900 in 2005. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed all five parks as ‘world heritage in danger’.

Ethiopia & Eritrea – Before 1952, Eritrea was a colony of Italy. When it was liberated, Ethiopia annexed the country. Thirty years of war over the liberation of Eritrea followed, starting in 1961 and eventually ending with the independence of Eritrea in 1993. However, war commenced a year after the country introduced its own currency in 1997. Over a minor border dispute, differences in ethnicity and economic progress, Ethiopia again attacked Eritrea. The war lasted until June 2000 and resulted in the death of over 150,000 Eritrean, and of hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians. During the war severe drought resulted in famine, particularly because most government funds were spend on weapons and other war instrumentation. The government estimated that after the war only 60% of the country received adequate food supplies. The war resulted in over 750,000 refugees. It basically destroyed the entire infrastructure. Efforts to disrupt agricultural production in Eritrea resulted in changes in habitat. The placing of landmines has caused farming or herding to be very dangerous in most parts of the country. If floods occur landmines may be washed into cities. This has occurred earlier in Mozambique.

Rwanda civil war - Between April and July 1994 extremist military Hutu groups murdered about 80,000-1,000,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda. Over 2,000,000 people lost their homes and became refugees. Rwanda has a very rich environment, however, it has a particularly limited resource base. About 95% of the population lives on the countryside and relies on agriculture. Some scientists believe that competition for scarce land and resources led to violence prior to and particularly after the 1994 genocide. It is however stated that resource scarcity only contributed limitedly to the conflict under discussion. The main cause of the genocide was the death of the president from a plane-crash caused by missiles fires from a camp.

The many refugees from the 1994 combat caused a biodiversity problem. When they returned to the already overpopulated country after the war, they inhabited forest reserves in the mountains where endangered gorillas lived. Conservation of gorilla populations was no longer effective, and refuges destroyed part of the habitat. Despite the difficulties still present in Rwanda particularly concerning security and resource provision, an international gorilla protection group is now working on better conditions for the gorillas in Rwanda.

Somalia civil war – A civil war was fought in Somalia 1991. One of the most striking effects of the war was over fishing. The International Red Cross was encouraging the consumption of seawater fish to improve diets of civilians. For self-sufficiency they provided training and fishing equipment. However, as a consequence of war Somali people ignored international fishing protocols, thereby seriously harming ecology in the region. Fishing soon became an unsustainable practise, and fishermen are hard to stop because they started carrying arms. They perceive over fishing as a property right and can therefore hardly be stopped.

Sudan (Darfur & Chad) – In Sudan civil war and extreme droughts caused a widespread famine, beginning in 1983. Productive farmland in the southern region was abandoned during the war. Thousands of people became refugees that left behind their land, possibly never to return. Attempts of remaining farmers to cultivate new land to grow crops despite the drought led to desertification and soil erosion. The government failed to act for fear of losing its administrative image abroad, causing the famine to kill an estimated 95,000 of the total 3,1 million residents of the province Darfur. As farmers started claiming more and more land, routes applied by herders were closed off. This resulted in conflicts between farmers and rebels groups. In 2003, a conflict was fought in Darfur between Arab Sudanese farmers and non-Arab Muslims. The Muslim group is called Janjaweed, a tribe mainly consisting of nomadic sheep and cattle herders. Originally the Janjaweed were part of the Sudanese and Darfurian militia, and were armed by the Sudanese government to counter rebellion. However, they started utilizing the weapons against non-Muslim civilians. The tribe became notorious for massacre in 2003-2004. In December 2005 the conflict continued across the border, now involving governmental army troops from Chad, and the rebel groups Janjaweed and United Front for Democratic Change from Sudan. In February 2006 the governments of Chad and Sudan signed a peace treaty called the Tripoli Agreement. Unfortunately a new rebel assault of the capital of Chad in April made Chad break all ties with Sudan. The Darfur Conflict so far caused the death of between 50,000 and 450,000 civilians. It caused over 45,000 people to flea the countries of Sudan and Central Africa, into north and east Chad. Most refugees claim they fled civilian attacks from rebel forces, looting food and recruiting young men to join their troops.

America

Pearl Harbor (WWII) – When World War II began, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Consequentially, the United States closed the Panama Canal to Japanese shipping, and initiated a complete oil embargo. Japan, being dependent on US oil, responded to the embargo violently. On December 1941, Japanese troops carried out a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, aimed at the US Navy stationed there. Despite the awareness that Japan might attack, the US was surprisingly unprepared for the Japanese aggression. There were no aircraft patrols, and anti-aircraft weapons were not manned.

For the attack five Japanese submarines were present in the harbor to launch torpedos. One was discovered immediately, and attacked by the USS Ward. All five submarines sank, and at least three of them have not been located since. As Japanese bombers arrived they began firing at US marine airbases across Hawaii, and subsequently battle ships in Pearl Harbor. Eighteen ships sank, including five battleships, and a total of more than 2,000 Americans were killed in action. The explosion of the USS Arizona caused half of the casualties. The ship was hit by a bomb, burned for two days in a row, and subsequently sank to the bottom. The cloud of black smoke over the boat was mainly caused by burning black powder from the magazine for aircraft catapults aboard the ship.

Leaking fuel from the Arizona and other ships caught fire, and caused more ships to catch fire. Of the 350 Japanese planes taking part in the attack, 29 were lost. Over sixty Japanese were killed in actions, most of them airmen.

Today, three battle ships are still at the bottom of the harbor. Four others were raised and reused. The USS Arizona, being the most heavily damaged ship during the attack, continues to leak oil from the hulk into the harbor. However, the wreck is maintained, because it now serves as part of a war memorial.

World Trade Centre explosion - The so-called ‘War on Terrorism’ the United States are fighting in Asia currently all started with the event we recall so well from the shocking images projected on news bulletins. On September 11, 2001, terrorists flew airplanes into the buildings of the World Trade Centre. It is now claimed that the attack and simultaneous collapse of the Twin Towers caused a serious and acute environmental disaster.

"We will live in the death smog for a while,
breathing the dust of the dead,
the 3 thousand or so who turn to smoke,
as the giant ashtray in Lower Manhattan
continues to give up ghosts.
The dead are in us now,
locked in our chests,
staining our lungs,
polluting our bloodstreams.
And though we cover our faces with flags
and other pieces of cloth to filter the air,
the spirits of the dead aren’t fooled
by our masks." Lawrence Swan, 05-10-2001

As the planes hit the Twin Towers more than 90.000 litres of jet fuel burned at temperatures above 1000oC. An atmospheric plume formed, consisting of toxic materials such as metals, furans, asbestos, dioxins, PAH, PCB and hydrochloric acid. Most of the materials were fibres from the structure of the building. Asbestos levels ranged from 0.8-3.0% of the total mass. PAH comprised more than 0.1% of the total mass, and PCBs less than 0.001% of total mass. At the site now called Ground Zero, a large pile of smoking rubble burned intermittently for more than 3 months. Gaseous and particulate particles kept forming long after the towers had collapsed.

Aerial photograph of the plume

The day of the attacks dust particles of various sizes spread over lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, for many miles. Fire fighters and medics working at the WTC were exposed, but also men and women on the streets and in nearby buildings, and children in nearby schools. In vivo inhalation studies and epidemiological studies pointed out the impact of the dust cloud. Health effects from inhaling dust included bronchial hyper reactivity, because of the high alkalinity of dust particles. Other possible health effects include coughs, an increased risk of asthma and a two-fold increase in the number of small-for-gestational-age baby’s among pregnant women present in or nearby the Twin Towers at the time of the attack. After September, airborne pollutant concentrations in nearby communities declined.

Many people present at the WTC at the time of the attacks are still checked regularly, because long-term effects may eventually show. It is thought there may be an increased risk of development of mesothelioma, consequential to exposure to asbestos. This is a disease where malignant cells develop in the protective cover of the body’s organs. Airborne dioxins in the days and weeks after the attack may increase the risk of cancer and diabetes. Infants of women that were pregnant on September 11 and had been in the vicinity of the WTC at the time of the attack are also checked for growth or developmental problems.

Asia

Afghanistan war – In October 2001, the United States attacked Afghanistan as a starting chapter of the ‘War on terrorism’, which still continues today. The ultimate goal was to replace the Taliban government, and to find apparent 9/11 mastermind and Al-Qaeda member Osama Bin Laden. Many European countries assisted the US in what was called ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’.

During the war, extensive damage was done to the environment, and many people suffered health effects from weapons applied to destroy enemy targets. It is estimated that ten thousand villages, and their surrounding environments were destroyed. Safe drinking water declined, because of a destruction of water infrastructure and resulting leaks, bacterial contamination and water theft. Rivers and groundwater were contaminated by poorly constructed landfills located near the sources.

Afghanistan once consisted of major forests watered by monsoons. During the war, Taliban members illegally trading timber in Pakistan destroyed much of the forest cover. US bombings and refugees in need of firewood destroyed much of what remained. Less than 2% of the country still contains a forest cover today.

Bombs threaten much of the country’s wildlife. One the world’s important migratory thoroughfare leads through Afghanistan. The number of birds now flying this route has dropped by 85%. In the mountains many large animals such as leopards found refuge, but much of the habitat is applied as refuge for military forces now. Additionally, refugees capture leopards and other large animals are and trade them for safe passage across the border.

Pollution from application of explosives entered air, soil and water. One example is cyclonite, a toxic substance that may cause cancer. Rocket propellants deposited perchlorates, which damage the thyroid gland. Numerous landmines left behind in Afghan soils still cause the deaths of men, women and children today.

Cambodia civil war – In 1966 the Prince of Cambodia began to lose the faith of many for failure to come to grips with the deteriorating economic situation. In 1967 rebellion started in a wealthy province where many large landowners lives. Villagers began attacking the tax collection brigade, because taxes were invested in building large factories, causing land to be taken. This led to a bloody civil war. Before the conflict could be repressed 10,000 people had died.

The rebellion caused the up rise of the Khmer Rouge, a Maoist-extremist organization that wanted to introduce communism in the country. In 1975 the organization, led by Pol Pot, officially seized power in Cambodia. The Khmer considered farmers (proletarians) to be the working class, as did Mao in China earlier. Schools, hospitals and banks were closed, the country was isolated from all foreign influence, and people were moved to the countryside for forced labor. People were obligated to work up to 12 hours a day, growing three times as many crops, as was usually the case. Many people died there from exhaustion, illness and starvation, or where shot by the Khmer on what was known as ‘The Killing Fields’.

The Khmer Rouge regime resulted in deforestation, caused by extensive timber logging to finance war efforts, agricultural clearance, construction, logging concessions and collection of wood fuels. A total 35% of the Cambodian forest cover was lost under the Maoist regime. Deforestation resulted in severe floods, damaging rice crops and causing food shortages. In 1993, a ban on logging exports was introduced to prevent further flooding damage.

In 1979 the Khmer Rouge regime ended with an invasion by Vietnam, and the installation of a pro-Vietnamese puppet government. Subsequently, Thai and Chinese forces attempted to liberate the country from Vietnamese dominance. Many landmines were placed in the 1980’s, and are still present in the countryside. They deny agricultural use of the land where they are placed. In 1992 free elections were introduced, but the Khmer Rouge resumed fighting. Eventually, half of the Khmer soldiers left in 1996, and many officials were captured. Under the Khmer regime, a total of 1.7 million people died, and the Khmer was directly responsible for about 750,000 of those casualties.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki nuclear explosions – Atomic bombs are based on the principle of nuclear fission, which was discovered in Nazi Germany in 1938 by two radio chemists. During the process, atoms are split and energy is released in the form of heat. Controlled reactions are applied in nuclear power plants for production of electricity, whereas unchecked reactions occur during nuclear bombings. The invention in Germany alarmed people in the United States, because the Nazi’s in possession of atomics bombs would be much more dangerous than they already where. When America became involved in WWII, the development of atomic bombs started there in what was called the ‘Manhattan Project’. In July 1945 an atomic bomb was tested in the New Mexico desert. The tests were considered a success, and America was now in possession of one of the world’s deadliest weapons.

In 1945, at the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, nuclear weapons were applied to kill for the first time in Japan. On August 6, a uranium bomb by the name of Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima, followed by a plutonium bomb by the name of Fat Man on Nagasaki on August 9. The reason Hiroshima was picked was that it was a major military centre. The bomb detonated at 8.15 p.m. over a Japanese Army parade field, where soldiers were already present. Nagasaki was picked because it was an industrial centre. The bomb, which was much larger than that used on Hiroshima, exploded at 11.02 a.m. at an industrial site. However, the hills on and the geographical location of the bombing site caused the eventual impact to be smaller than days earlier in Hiroshima.

The first impact of the atomic bombings was a blinding light, accompanied by a giant wave of heat. Dry flammable materials caught fire, and all men and animals within half a mile from the explosion sites died instantly. Many structures collapsed, in Nagasaki even the structures designed to survive earthquakes were blasted away. Many water lines broke. Fires could not be extinguished because of the water shortage, and six weeks after the blast the city still suffered from a lack of water. In Hiroshima a number of small fires combined with wind formed a firestorm, killing those who did not die before but were left immobile for some reason. Within days after the blasts, radiation sickness started rearing its ugly head, and many more people would die from it within the next 5 years.

The total estimated death toll:
In Hiroshima 100,000 were killed instantly, and between 100,000 and 200,000 died eventually.
In Nagasaki about 40,000 were killed instantly, and between 70,000 and 150,000 died eventually.

The events of August 6 and August 9 can be translated into environmental effects more literally. The blasts caused air pollution from dust particles and radioactive debris flying around, and from the fires burning everywhere. Many plants and animals were killed in the blast, or died moments to months later from radioactive precipitation. Radioactive sand clogged wells used for drinking water winning, thereby causing a drinking water problem that could not easily be solved. Surface water sources were polluted, particularly by radioactive waste. Agricultural production was damaged; dead stalks of rice could be found up to seven miles from ground zero. In Hiroshima the impact of the bombing was noticeable within a 10 km radius around the city, and in Nagasaki within a 1 km radius.

Iraq & Kuwait – The Gulf War was fought between Iraq, Kuwait and a number of western countries in 1991. Kuwait had been part of Iraq in the past, but was liberated by British imperialism, as the Iraqi government described it. In August 1990, Iraqi forces claimed that the country was illegally extracting oil from Iraqi territory, and attacked. The United Nations attempted to liberate Kuwait. Starting January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began, with the purpose of destroying Iraqi air force and anti-aircraft facilities, and command and control facilities. The battle was fought in Iraq, Kuwait and the Saudi-Arabian border region. Both aerial and ground artillery was applied. Late January, Iraqi aircraft were flown to Iran, and Iraqi forces began to flee.

The Gulf War was one of the most environmentally devastating wars ever fought. Iraq dumped approximately one million tons of crude oil into the Persian Gulf, thereby causing the largest oil spill in history (see environmental disasters). Approximately 25,000 migratory birds were killed. The impact on marine life was not as severe as expected, because warm water sped up the natural breakdown of oil. Local prawn fisheries did experience problems after the war. Crude oil was also spilled into the desert, forming oil lakes covering 50 square kilometres. In due time the oil percolated into groundwater aquifers.

Fleeing Iraqi troops ignited Kuwaiti oil sources, releasing half a ton of air pollutants into the atmosphere. Environmental problems caused by the oil fires include smog formation and acid rain. Toxic fumes originating from the burning oil wells compromised human health, and threatened wildlife. A soot layer was deposited on the desert, covering plants, and thereby preventing them from breathing. Seawater was applied to extinguish the oil fires, resulting in increased salinity in areas close to oil wells. It took about nine months to extinguish the fires.

During the war, many dams and sewage water treatment plants were targeted and destroyed. A lack of possibilities for water treatment resulting from the attacks caused sewage to flow directly into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Additionally, pollutants seeped from bombed chemical plants into the rivers. Drinking water extracted from the river was polluted, resulting in widespread disease. For example, cases of typhoid fever have increased tenfold since 1991.

Movement of heavy machinery such as tanks through the desert damaged the brittle surface, causing soil erosion. Sand was uncovered that formed gradually moving sand dunes. These dunes may one day cause problems for Kuwait City. Tanks fired Depleted Uranium (DU) missiles, which can puncture heavy artillery structures. DU is a heavy metal that causes kidney damage and is suspected to be teratogenic and carcinogenic. Post-Gulf War reports state an increase in birth defects for children born to veterans. The impact of Depleted Uranium could not be thoroughly investigated after the Gulf War, because Saddam Hussein refused to cooperate. Its true properties were revealed after the Kosovo War in 2001 (description below). DU has now been identified as a neurotoxin, and birth defects and cancers are attributed to other chemical and nerve agents. However, it is stated that DU oxides deposited in the lungs of veterans have not been thoroughly researched yet. It was later found that this may cause kidney and lung infections for highly exposed persons.

After the Gulf War many veterans suffered from a condition now known as the Gulf War Syndrome. The causes of the illness are subject to widespread speculation. Examples of possible causes are exposure to DU (see above), chemical weapons (nerve gas and mustard gas), an anthrax vaccine given to 41% of US soldiers and 60-75% of UK soldiers, smoke from burning oil wells and parasites. Symptoms of the GWS included chronic fatigue, muscle problems, diarrhoea, migraine, memory loss, skin problems and shortness of breath. Many Gulf War veterans have died of illnesses such as brain cancer, now acknowledged as potentially connected to service during the war.

Iraq & the United States – The war in Iraq started by the United States in 2003 as part of the War on Terrorism causes poverty, resulting in environmental problems. Long-term environmental effects of the war remain unclear, but short-term problems have been identified for every environmental compartment. For example, some weapons are applied that may be extremely damaging to the environment, such as white phosphorus ammunition. People around the world protest the application of such armoury.

Water
Damage to sanitation structures by frequent bombing, and damage to sewage treatment systems by power blackouts cause pollution of the River Tigris. Two hundred blue plastic containers containing uranium were stolen from a nuclear power plant located south of Baghdad. The radioactive content of the barrels was dumped in rivers and the barrels were rinsed out. Poor people applied the containers as storage facility for water, oil and tomatoes, or sold them to others. Milk was transported to other regions in the barrels, making it almost impossible to relocate them.

Air
Oil trenches are burning, as was the case in the Gulf War of 1991, resulting in air pollution. In Northern Iraq, a sulphur plant burned for one month, contributing to air pollution. As fires continue burning, groundwater applied as a drinking water source may be polluted.

Soil
Military movements and weapon application result in land degradation. The destruction of military and industrial machinery releases heavy metals and other harmful substances.

Read more on restoring water systems in Iraq

Israel & Lebanon – In July 2006, Hezbollah initiated a rocket attack on Israeli borders. A ground patrol killed and captured Israeli soldiers. This resulted in open war between Israel and Lebanon.

The war caused environmental problems as Israelis bombed a power station south of Beirut. Damaged storage tanks leaked an estimated 20,000 tons of oil into the Mediterranean Sea. The oil spill spread rapidly, covering over 90 km of the coastline, killing fish and affecting the habitat of the endangered green sea turtle. A sludge layer covers Beaches across Lebanon, and the same problem may occur in Syria as the spill continues to spread. Part of the oil spill burned, causing widespread air pollution. Smog affects the health of people living in the city of Beirut. So far problems limiting the clean-up operation of oil spills have occurred, because of ongoing violence in the region.

Another major problem were forest fires in Northern Israel caused by Hezbollah bombings. A total of 9,000 acres of forest burned to the ground, and fires threaten tree reserves and bird sanctuaries.

Russia & Chechnya – In 1994 the First Chechen War of independence started, between Russian troops, Chechen guerrilla fighters and civilians. Chechnya has been a province of Russia for a very long time and now desires independence. The First War ended in 1996, but in 1999 Russia again attacked Chechnya for purposes of oil distribution.

The war between the country and its province continues today. It has devastating effects on the region of Chechnya. An estimated 30% of Chechen territory is contaminated, and 40% of the territory does not meet environmental standards for life. Major environmental problems include radioactive waste and radiation, oil leaks into the ground from bombarded plants and refineries, and pollution of soil and surface water. Russia has buried radioactive waste in Chechnya. Radiation at some sites is ten times its normal level. Radiation risks increase as Russia bombs the locations, particularly because after 1999 the severeness of weaponry increased. A major part of agricultural land is polluted to the extent that it can no longer meet food supplies. This was mainly caused by unprofessional mini-refineries of oil poachers in their backyards, not meeting official standards and causing over 50% of the product to be lost as waste. Groundwater pollution flows into the rivers Sunzha and Terek on a daily basis. On some locations the rivers are totally devoid of fish. Flora and fauna are destroyed by oil leaks and bombings.

Vietnam war – The Vietnam War started in 1945 and ended in 1975. It is now entitled a proxy war, fought during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union to prevent the necessity for the nations to fight each other directly. North Vietnam fought side by side with the Soviet Union and China, and South Vietnam with the United States, New Zealand and South Korea. It must be noted that the United States only started to be actively involved in the battle after 1963. Between 1965 and 1968 North Vietnam was bombed under Operation Rolling Thunder, in order to force the enemy to negotiate. Bombs destroyed over two million acres of land. North Vietnam forces began to strike back, and the Soviet Union delivered anti-aircraft missiles to North Vietnam. The ground war of US troops against the Viet Cong began. The United States would not retreat from Vietnam until 1973, and during those years extremely environmentally damaging weapons and war tactics were applied.

A massive herbicidal programme was carried out, in order to break the forest cover sheltering Viet Cong guerrillas, and deprive Vietnamese peasants of food. The spraying destroyed 14% of Vietnam’s forests, diminished agricultural yield, and made seeds unfit for replanting. If agricultural yield was not damaged by herbicides, it was often lost because military on the ground set fire to haystacks, and soaked land with aviation fuel en burned it. A total of 15,000 square kilometres of land were eventually destroyed. Livestock was often shot, to deprive peasant of their entire food supply. A total of 13,000 livestock were killed during the war.

The application of 72 million litres of chemical spray resulted in the death of many animals, and caused health effects with humans. One chemical that was applied between 1962 and 1971, called Agent Orange, was particularly harmful. Its main constituent is dioxin, which was present in soil, water and vegetation during and after the war. Dioxin is carcinogenic and teratogenic, and has resulted in spontaneous abortions, chloracne, skin and lung cancers, lower intelligence and emotional problems among children. Children fathered by men exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War often have congenital abnormalities. An estimated half a million children were born with dioxin-related abnormalities. Agent Orange continues to threaten the health of the Vietnamese today.

"Drafted to go to Vietnam
To fight communism in a foreign land.
To preserve democracy is my plight
Which is a God...Given...Right.
Greenery so thick with hidden enemies
Agent Orange is sprayed on the trees.
Covering me from head to toe
Irate my eyes, burns through my clothes.
Returned home when my tour was done
To be told "You have cancer, son".
Agent Orange is to blame
Government caused your suffering and pain.
Fight for compensation is frustrating and slow
Brass cover-up, not wanting anyone to know.
From cancer many comrades have died
Medical Insurance have been denied.
Compensation I now receive
My health I hope to retrieve.
In Vietnam , I was spared my life
Just to be stabbed with an Agent Orange knife" Yvonne Legge, 2001

Today, agriculture in Vietnam continues to suffer problems from six million unexploded bombs still present. Several organisations are attempting to remove these bombs. Landmines left in Vietnam are not removed, because the Vietnamese government refuses to accept responsibility.

Europe

Kosovo war – The Kosovo war can be divided up in two separate parts: a conflict between Serbia and Kosovo, and a conflict between Kosovo and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The first conflict originated in 1996 from the statement of Slobodan Milocevic that Kosovo was to remain a part of Serbia, and from the resulting violent response of Albanian residents. When Serbian troops slaughtered 45 Albanians in the village of Racak in Kosovo in 1999, the NATO intervened. NATO launched a 4-month bombing campaign upon Serbia as a reply to the massacre at Racak.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) investigated the environmental impact of the Kosovo war. It was concluded that the war did not result in an environmental disaster affecting the entire Balkan region. Nevertheless, some environmental hot spots were identified, namely Belgrade, Pancevo, Kragujevac, Novi Sad and Bor.

Bombings carried out by the United States resulted in leakages in oil refineries and oil storage depots. Industrial sites containing other industries were also targeted. EDC (1,2-dichloroethane), PCBs en mercury escaped to the environment. Burning of Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) resulted in the formation of dioxin, hydrochloric acid, carbon monoxide and PAHs, and oil burning released sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead and PAHs into the air. Heavy clouds of black smoke forming over burning industrial targets caused black rain to fall on the area around Pancevo. Some damage was done to National Parks in Serbia by bombings, and therefore to biodiversity. EDC, mercury and petroleum products (e.g. PCBs) polluted the Danube River. These are present in the sediments and may resurface in due time. EDC is toxic to both terrestrial and aquatic life. Mercury may be converted into methyl mercury, which is very toxic and bio accumulates. As a measure to prevent the consequences of bombing, a fertilizer plant in Pancevo released liquid ammonia into the Danube River. This caused fish kills up to 30 kilometres downstream.

In 1999 when NATO bombed Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, the resulting environmental damage was enormous. Petrochemical plants in suburbs started leaking all kinds of hazardous chemicals into air, water and soil. Factories producing ammonia and plastics released chlorine, hydrochloric acid, vinyl chloride and other chlorine substances, resulting in local air pollution and health problems. Water sources were polluted by oil leaking from refineries. The Danube River was polluted by oil more severely, but this time hydrochloric acid and mercury compounds also ended up there. These remained in the water for a considering period of time and consequently ended up in neighbouring countries Rumania and Bulgaria.

Clean drinking water supplies and waste treatment plants were damaged by NATO bombings. Many people fled their houses and were moved to refugee camps, where the number of people grew rapidly. A lack of clean drinking water and sanitation problems occurred.

Like in the Gulf War, Depleted Uranium (DU) was applied in the Kosovo War to puncture tanks and other artillery. After the war, the United Kingdom assisted in the removal of DU residues from the environment. Veterans complained of health effects. It was acknowledged by the UK and the US that dusts from DU can be dangerous if inhaled. Inhalation of dust most likely results in chemical poisoning.

World War I: Trench Warfare – In 1914, the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary resulted in the First World War, otherwise known as The Great War, or WWI. It started with Austria-Hungary invading Serbia, where the assassin came from, and Germany invading Belgium. The war was mostly in Europe, between the Allies and the Central Powers.

Allies: France, United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Russia, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, Rumania, Albania, Greece, Portugal, Finland, United States, Canada, Brazil, Armenia, Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Liberia, China, Japan, Thailand, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama
Central Powers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Turkish Empire, and Bulgaria

The war was fought from trenches, dug from the North Sea to the border of Switzerland. In 1918 when the war was over, empires disintegrated into smaller countries, marking the division of Europe today. Over 9 million people had died, most of which perished from influenza after the outbreak of the Spanish Flu (see environmental disasters). The war did not directly cause the influenza outbreak, but it was amplified. Mass movement of troops and close quarters caused the Spanish Flu to spread quickly. Furthermore, stresses of war may have increased the susceptibility of soldiers to the disease.

In terms of environmental impact, World War I was most damaging, because of landscape changes caused by trench warfare. Digging trenches caused trampling of grassland, crushing of plants and animals, and churning of soil. Erosion resulted from forest logging to expand the network of trenches. Soil structures were altered severely, and if the war was never fought, in all likelihood the landscape would have looked very differently today.

Another damaging impact was the application of poison gas. Gases were spread throughout the trenches to kill soldiers of the opposite front. Examples of gases applied during WWI are tear gas (aerosols causing eye irritation), mustard gas (cell toxic gas causing blistering and bleeding), and carbonyl chloride (carcinogenic gas). The gases caused a total of 100,000 deaths, most caused by carbonyl chloride (phosgene). Battlefields were polluted, and most of the gas evaporates into the atmosphere. After the war, unexploded ammunition caused major problems in former battle areas. Environmental legislation prohibits detonation or dumping chemical weapons at sea, therefore the cleanup was and still remains a costly operation. In 1925, most WWI participants signed a treaty banning the application of gaseous chemical weapons. Chemical disarmament plants are planned in France and Belgium.

World War II: Gas Chambers – World War II was a worldwide conflict, fought between the Allies (Britain, France and the United States as its core countries) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan as its core countries). It started with the German invasion of Poland and Czechoslovakia in 1939, and ended with the liberation of Western Europe by the allies in 1945.

Between 1941 and 1945, over 1 million people were killed in the gas chambers of the extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Nazi Germany. Over 90% of the victims were Jews, and the other 10% consisted of Poles, Soviet prisoners of war and gypsies. The substance applied was Zyklon-B, a cyanide-based insecticide that is lethal to humans in large doses. It was stored as crystals in closed containers, but when exposed to air it released the lethal hydrogen cyanide gas (HCN). As Zyklon-B was poured into the gas chambers through small openings, it took only 10-15 minutes to kill all people inside.

The insecticide was supplied to Nazi Germany by two firms, Tesch-Stabenow and Degesh. After the war the firms claimed they were unaware of the application of the product to kill people in large numbers. However, it was later stated that the company had to have known, because they supplied enough substance to kill 2 million people, and additionally gave some advise on how to use the ventilating and heating equipment.

World War II: Hunger winter – In late 1944, the allied troops attempted to liberate Western Europe. As they reached The Netherlands, German resistance caused the liberation to be halted in Arnhem, as allied troops failed to occupy a bridge over the River Rhine. As the Dutch government in exile in Britain called for railway strikes, the Germans responded by putting embargo on food transport to the west. This resulted in what is now known as the Hunger Winter, causing an estimated 20,000-25,000 Dutch to starve to death. A number of factors caused the starvation: a harsh winter, fuel shortages, the ruin of agricultural land by bombings, floods, and the food transport embargo. Most people in the west lived off tulip bulbs and sugar beet. Official food rations were below 1000 cal per person per day. In May 1945 the Hunger Winter ended with the official liberation of the west of The Netherlands.

Source

The there is this.  So what do they do with weapons of mass destruction?  Coming to an Ocean Near YOU! The cost in dollars for the pollution caused by war is staggering. The cost to human life is horrendous. The price of war to the Environment is deadly.  This is of course a Global problem.  What you don't see can hurt you.  If you don't know it is only because they don't want you too. They will never tell you the true unless we as a Global community force them to. This will affect our children for many years to come. War is probably one of the worst polluters on the planet.  Stopping the WAR MACHINE is in everyone's best interest.

THE DEADLINESS BELOW

Space Adventure Planet Y  October 10

Club Penguin 3rd Anniversary   October 24

October 17: New Better Igloo Catolog/New Igloo Upgrades Catolog/ Igloo Decorating Contest

Waddle on!

Wiifan7 10

Daran scheinen auch die Versuche, den Ausstoß von Treibhausgasen verringern, nicht wirklich etwas ändern zu können. Handelt es sich bei diesen doch um blosse Lippenbekenntnisse und freiwillige Selbstbeschränkungen, die für niemanden irgendwelche Folgen haben werden, der sich nicht daran hält.

So wie ich das sehe, wird sich am Ausstoß von CO2 nichts ändern, schon garnicht rechne ich mit einer merklichen Reduzierung. Was die sogenannten Industriestaaten einsparen (wenn man davon überhaupt reden kann), wird verstärkt von den Schwellenländern in die Atmosphäre geblasen, die auf dem Standpunkt stehen: " Die Industrienationen gönnen uns unseren Fortschritt nicht und deshalb wollen sie uns zu teuren und unnötigen Umweltschutzmaßnahmen drängen!" Und so sieht es tatsächlich aus. Wie können wir von aufstrebenden, dynamischen Nationen verlangen die Umwelt zu schützen und für unsere Nachkommen zu erhalten, wenn wir selbst weder bereit noch in der Lage sind, auf die Belange Gaias und der Menschen Rücksicht zu nehmen?

weitere Links zum Thema:

• Greenpeace (Klimawandel weit dramatischer als erwartet)
• netzzeitung (Die Erde erhitzt sich immer schneller)

]]> http://epicponyz.wordpress.com/?p=1806 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:59:22 +0000 epicponyz http://epicponyz.com/2008/10/09/sackboy-just-wants-some-love/

The Tokyo Game Show is in full force, and so much news has piled out of it already. One game being hyped at it is the highly anticipated "Little Big Planet". Over at Kotaku, they posted a strange video of Sackboy following around a woman, to which she practically ignored him. Who doesn't love a giant stuffed sack? Wheres the love!?

Primero empezo con la aparicion de Kratos y de Heavenly Sword como jugadores solo si hacias tu preventa en Amazon.com, pues ahora tambien ayer fueron anunciados que se uniran Solid Snake!!! y Sephiroth.

Se ven bastante bien estos jugadores, ya no puedo aguantar por tener mi copia de este juego y ahora la pregunta es ¿como se van a conseguir estos nuevos personajes?, espero que no sea de paga porque sino ya valio, porque no hay PlayStation Network en México.

Aqui las fotos y un video de como fue presentado en TGS 2008

Enjoy It

Da bin ich jetzt aber echt froh, dass so etwas in Deutschland nie, nie passieren kann. Hier werden ja auch keine Unschuldigen als mutmassliche Terroristen auf dem Flughafen verhaftet und später wieder mangels Beweisen freigelassen, nicht wahr?

I dunno who made this but he reminds me of one those old school super villains that are always building these horibly complex machines that are specifically designed to take over the world. So... yeah... don't mess with him.

Fucking mathletes.

(Also, found on Kotaku)

maybe it's a good thing, this global financial meltdown. Most of us in the west have too much to eat , heat and are so disconnected from reality that we can't even smell the planet burning. Bad for those retiring, but good for those being born.

Commander Danvers stared off stoically at the tangled forests of the Planet of the Green Monkeys, rubbing his beard stubble in satisfaction. 

            The Multi-Ethnic Galactic Intergenerational Mammalian Investigation Exploratory Squadron had spent two decades in their quest for the green monkey, usually making their space navigation decisions based on the hunches of Second Officer Luber, a bespectacled whiz kid whose instinctive understanding of galactic geography constantly amazed the crew.

            "Here it is," piped up Luber, in his perpetually adolescent voice.  "Just like I said.  The Planet of the Green Monkeys."

            Danvers raised his eyes to the sky, where two ugly purple moons hovered above them.  "You're quite a kid, Luber.  I've been traveling with you for two decades and you still look like you're twelve years old."

            Luber blushed.  He hadn't told anyone on the crew that he suffered from Janger's Multiphasic Middle School Disease.  Every night he returned to his pod, thinking of stratagems to convince everyone on the ship he was not permanently stunted in his emotional and physical growth at the level of a pre-teen.

            Danvers lit a masculine cigar and made a surly curl with his lips.  "Now we just gotta find us some green monkeys, compadre."

            Just then, Fourth Officer Layla Oliveros scurried up to them from a gully on their right.  Her space uniform was erotically tattered from her struggles with the promiscuous, luxuriating vines of the Planet of the Green Monkeys.  Her long flowing black hair cascaded toward her legs, making a statement of sensual Latina beauty even here on the far-flung world of the Planet of the Green Monkeys.

            "Commander Danvers," cried Oliveros, "I've found a green monkey!"

            Danvers turned to her with the decisive pivot that had made him a favorite with the instructors at the Space Academy. 

            "Green monkey!  For crying out loud, woman, where?"

            Oliveros took a moment to collect herself and reapply her Passionate Pomegranate lipstick.  "Down there.  In the gully!  He was hanging from a tree branch, just like a monkey!"

            "Goddamn it, Oliveros!  If you're right, I'm giving you a Space Star to stick on that sensually tattered uniform!  If we can capture and dissect a green monkey, we could gain clues to galactic mammal biology that will make us completely reevaluate our position in the universe."

            Oliveros pointed again.  "Hurry.  He might escape.  He's a monkey."

            Danvers pulled his monkey gun from his holster and ran into the gully, followed by Luber and Oliveros.

            In moments, he was face to face with a primitive, smelly green monkey.  A large-nosed, wild-eyed green monkey who probably hadn't evolved past his current form for millions of uneventful years. 

            Just as Danvers touched the monkey, Luber pulled out his own monkey gun.

            "Hands off, Danvers!  It's time I proved my masculinity!  I'm taking possession of this monkey!"  Without further ceremony, Luber shot Danvers at point blank range.  In a slow motion cartwheel of death, Danvers turned end over end until he lay sprawled on the floor of the gully, his mouth open wide and his eyes staring mindlessly into the off-white sky above the Planet of the Green Monkeys.

            Oliveros planted a sensual Latin kiss on Luber's mouth. 

            "You're my hero, Luber!  No one but you can bring to life my dual fetishes for men with crippling diseases and unique navigational abilities."

            "I know," said Luber.  "That's why it's so distressing that I saw you last night fondling Captain Matthews in the storage pod."

            Without another word, Luber turned his monkey gun on Oliveros and shot her, also at point blank range.

            Oliveros whimpered, then fell to the dirty ground.

            Luber looked at the green monkey, a monkey he had waited years to see.  "This is just the beginning, monkey.  The beginning of a new era on the Planet of the Green Monkeys."  
            The monkey howled, but Luber just smiled an enigmatic smile.

Now, as I am reading through this, it seems that there is a majority of scientists who are now attuning to Nature.  I like this, “The increase in global carbon dioxide emissions is not just damaging the Earth's climate, but also threatening the very fabric of our oceans.”  

First of all, we are not learning from our mistakes. We are also not taking more direct and unwavering action. Apparently, that is only reserved for the bankers on Wall Street to suck us, the common folk, dry.  Dry of what exactly?  Last time I checked they were not a purple people eaters, but a human being too that relied on the environment to sustain them.  Shelter, food, and well you know the capability to live. Yet as with all things we as human beings have grown accustomed too, we look to the dollar to sustain us.  Common folk out there, hee-hee, you might be able to burn it for firewood here soon! Ha!

Second, is this an admission to global warming, that other scientists continue to attempt to debunk?? Face it and start now. When you were a kid or even five years ago, a summer was a summer and a winter was a winter, and there was no doubt about how it felt outside. We are beginning to see and feel (back to the five senses again) a totally different atmosphere from this planet we live on. 

Onward, The Nature Conservancy and top marine scientists want to actually tackle the “ocean acidification”.  How long have we, the apes with no fur, but big brain J, known that our oceans are toxic? Answer: A long time. 

(1) Heck, there was just an article out about the trash in our oceans – TONS and the millions of dollars it would take to clean it up. (2) Beach signs during the summer saying “no swimming due to …” (3) Blooms of algae and dead zones – that keep getting bigger.  

Guess what? When you see trash – pick it up.  When you see a six-pack, plastic holder, un-cut ----cut it up.  When you see it needs to be done – do it.  There are OBVIOUS, small steps that we can take, without government “action” (due to the inaction that are obvious) to clean up.  You start in your own home.  That is the most effective way to achieve what has to be done.  Demand that your town, your home, your environment – have recycling centers and organize groups to clean up roadside trash.  If they will not do it because the budget “cannot allow for it”, go out and start something on your own – BUT do the research first to do it right the first time.    

Back on subject, again…Oceans have had the Great Barrier Reef – the Caribbean Reef – and all these other priceless pieces of Natural art, ecosystems, and biodiversity of life screaming for help over a number of years.  Read a National Geographic. Animals show intelligence in these places – it is there home!  How is it we do not even respect our own? Pardon me. I am upset for our environment.  I know that the impacts are far more reaching than what anyone knows right now.  So, with that I move forward….

“Two major strategies emerged as the backbone of the Declaration resulting from the workshop:
•    Limit fossil fuel emissions - stabilization of atmospheric CO2 is the most logical step to address ocean acidification impacts; and
•    Build the resilience of tropical marine ecosystems and communities to maximize their ability to resist and recover from climate change impacts, including ocean acidification.”

While the above is all well and good, we have businesses that do not wish to curb the harmful emissions.  We walk the streets and travel to work everyday guys. How are your lungs holding up during the waking hours in a city?  Smell a difference in the air? Yuck.

More children and elderly people, with breathing and upper respiratory infections – seems kind of odd doesn’t? How in the word will a bunch of scientists, get the businesses of the World to stop polluting our environments with harmful emissions (otherwise known as greenhouse gases). Please note:  I classify greenhouse gases as anything that should not be inhaled into your lungs that will cause your lungs and/or body harm over time.

Ah – Time.  Didn’t see the results of that first cigarette did you?  But you sure saw a difference after say…five years.  Time. 

Why must we sit around and talk, talk, talk, about things we knew about twenty years ago? Always with the talk, and limited and/or lack of continual education to the general public.  Ever heard an elder person, country person, or farmer, talk about how things use to grow or be?  Same thing – different generation that did not learn or listen. 

What does all of this mean for mankind?  Rotate the general knowledge that is out there, and see the patterns.  What do you see? How and where did the alarms go off, but we failed to listen? 

(Oh and please notice how when you click on the link, or read the article, that the first three steps – yeah they are the same but re-worded.  Freaky.  I would have gotten an “F” from the professor if I tried those shenanigans.)

While the “Honolulu Declaration” was being discussed and presented, the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona had a little meeting.  What was the topic of discussion? The animals that face extinction and the results it could mean for us.  http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081007/sc_afp/environmentbiodiversityspeciesdisease <-- Link

“But perhaps the greatest threat will come from emerging infectious diseases as a result of changing temperatures and rainfall levels."

Multiply the swiftness of the common flu with unknown wind patterns, and ocean currents due to the climate change.  This is a scary thought of just how quick the World population will dwindle.  Damn – here it is as I re-read it - "Disease has always had a role to play in affecting populations, but now we are seeing diseases that are highly pathogenic," he told AFP.

We know what happens when a building, or trees, are cleared – rodents and animals run.  Rodents flood into the next best thing they can find.  Eeek!  Very bad mojo if you ask me, yet we just talk about it and do nothing about it. The bubonic plague --- ?? The outbreak of the Hanta Virus? It still happens. 

Finally, “Any disturbance in the environment shows up in wildlife because they don't adapt very quickly or easily," he said. With what we know, and what we do not know, how will the World react when there are no animals? I have touched on this subject before – in much, much earlier entries onto this blog.  People, it is never too late, till one day it is too late. Save the environment = Saving mankind -- This is balance.

**Next on Breetreport** The Ozone Hole ;)

Einfach mal nicht hinsehen...

Bloß nicht drüber nachdenken...

Hinnehmen und Schnauze halten...

Wegsehen, dann existiert es nicht...

...oder das klassische SCHÖNREDEN von negativen Aspekten des Lebens.

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