Globalism – Page 25

Analysis, Animals, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

Exotic new life forms found thriving near deep underwater vents

January 6, 2012

White Octopus spotted on ocean floor.

It’s easy to imagine that the seafloor miles beneath the icy surface of the Southern Ocean might be a cold, dark, inhospitable place, as devoid of life as the vacuum of space it so closely resembles — but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In a recent expedition near Antartica, researchers from Oxford discovered dozens of remarkable new species thriving in one of the most extreme environments on the planet, alongside deep-sea hydrothermal vents where temperatures can reach over 750F…

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Walmart wants to start a conversation on sustainability with its new Green Blog

January 5, 2012

Walmart is going green?

So Walmart has launched a green blog, The Green Room, “that we hope to develop into a vibrant conversation about helping people live better around the globe.” So says Andrea Thomas, who leads sustainability at Walmart.

Right now there are just a few questions to start the conversation. What do you think are the biggest challenges in sustainability? What do you wish we, as a company, could do to address an environmental or social issue? How could we help you reach your own sustainability goals?

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Analysis, Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Education, Global Warming, Globalism, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues

World’s first hybrid shark found off Australia

January 3, 2012

A hybrid black tip shark containing both common and Australian black tip DNA

Scientists said on Tuesday that they had discovered the world’s first hybrid sharks in Australian waters, a potential sign the predators were adapting to cope with climate change.
The mating of the local Australian black-tip shark with its global counterpart, the common black-tip, was an unprecedented discovery with implications for the entire shark world, said lead researcher Jess Morgan…

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Crowdfunding temporarily halts oil extraction in Ecuador

January 3, 2012

No drilling here for now.

Ecuador had agreed last year to accept money in exchange for not drilling foroil in Yasuní National Park, an area of the Amazon rainforest that last year set a record for the most mammal, bird, amphibian and plant species in the world.

But a fundraiser was held last night that collected the $116 million necessary to temporarily halt exploitation of the area for oil…

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Analysis, Business, Globalism, Science & Technology News

Samoa will skip Friday this week

December 29, 2011

A beach in Samoa, where clocks are set to go forward by a whole day.

Samoa is making Dec. 30 disappear, just this once.

It’s the key step in the Pacific island nation’s plan to move from the eastern to the western side of the International Date Line and mesh its work week with two of its primary trading partners, New Zealand and Australia. The New Zealand territory of Tokelau is making the switch as well.

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Elance predicts market for online contingent work to double again in 2012

December 29, 2011

Will your future job will be doing online contingent work?

Wondering where all the future jobs are going to be? Online of course! But maybe not exactly in the format you were expecting.

Despite a stagnant employment market in 2011, online hiring has grown at a record pace, up more than 100% from 2010. Elance, the leading platform for online work, released its 2011 Online Employment Review today, which reveals that the future of work will be contingent, global and online. As more companies seek instant access to talent and greater flexibility to run their businesses, individuals are taking control of their future by building careers as independent professionals…

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Is that Flame Retardant in your Soft Drink?

December 29, 2011

Brominated vegetable oil is patented as a flame retardant and it’s banned in food all over Europe and Japan, but it’s on the ingredient list of about 10 percent of sodas in the U.S. It’s not in Coca-Cola, but is in Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, and in some flavors of Powerade and Gatorade.

What brominated vegetable oil (BVO) does to soda is, Coca-Cola explains, “prevent the citrus flavoring oils from floating to the surface in beverages.” The fruit flavors that are mixed into a drink would otherwise settle out. What BVO does when it’s acting as a flame retardant is not much different: It slows down the chemical reactions that cause a fire…

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China has its own GPS now—and it’s better than yours

December 27, 2011

China is now one step closer to become the top economic and military superpower in the world: their Beidou geo-positioning system is now fully armed and operational.

But why is this important?

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Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Entertainment, Globalism, government, Humor

China Post beams letters into orbit via a Space Post Office

December 26, 2011

What would you send into space via a space post office?

Young children living the Western world will often spend December writing letters to be sent the North Pole in the hope of reaching Santa Claus. In China, however, people of all ages now have a new reason to get the pen and paper out again as China Post are now offering a service that sends letters into space…

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Computerized air-traffic control could save CO2 equivalent of Denmark’s economy

December 26, 2011

Bringing Air-Traffic Control in the 21st Century could really save CO2.

If you are going somewhere in a vehicle that burns a lot of fossil fuels, it’s never a good idea to take unnecessary detours. Sadly, most airplanes can’t take the most elegant and efficient route to their destinations because of the limitations of the air-traffic control system that guides them. It’s not the fault of the traffic controllers – they do a good job – but rather of the technology with which they have to work; the foundations of the system are 50-60 years old and produce flight paths that are far from optimal when it comes to saving fuel (and thus reducing CO2 emissions), saving money, and saving time for passengers. So what can we do about it?

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Entertainment, Globalism, New Viewpoints

Glass igloo hotel in Finland

December 25, 2011

Cozy cold view.

Located in the wilderness near Finland’s Urho Kekkonen National Park, the Igloo Village of Hotel Kakslauttanen offers a crystal clear view of the Northern lights and stars, all while comfortably relaxing in your room.

Thermal glass walls not only insulate the interior to keep it warm, but also make sure that view stay clear even when the temperature drops to -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30°C). That’s why it is an excellent place to see the Aurora Borealis, one of the world’s seven natural wonder, or in other words, the burst of colored light caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere. The lights are visible from August to April, however the peak viewing time is during the winter months…

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Mysterious nodding syndrome spreading through Uganda

December 25, 2011

Onchocerca volvulus

Large areas of northern Uganda are experiencing an outbreak of nodding syndrome, a mysterious disease that causes young children and adolescents to nod violently when they eat food. The disease, which may be an unusual form of epilepsy, could be linked to the parasitic worm responsible for river blindness, a condition that affects some 18 million people, most of them in Africa.

The current outbreaks are concentrated in the districts of Kitgum, Pader and Gulu. In Pader alone, 66 children and teenagers have died. More than 1000 cases were diagnosed between August and mid-December…

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