See around you...

verbal violence

2009-03-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Verbal violence is the expression that denotes the phenomenon of aggressive behavior and offender deliberately presented by all the citizens or by them within the limits of interpersonal space. It has qualities that differentiate from other types of violent action taken by individuals or groups of people and it triggers a consequence of the conditions of life and conviviality. Its most obvious manifestation is the high rates of aggression incited after discussions, the more constant is the violation of basic codes of civilized conduct. The observation of the moral conduct of mankind, or civility, over time shows a gradual process of internalization, there is a clear trend, which is the approval or disapproval of external actions and their consequences for the approval or disapproval of the intentions that serve as the basis for these actions, therefore, the foundations of morality does not infer a metaphysical principle, but what is most peculiar to man, the abuse and violence are against all principles, both moral, physical or verbal, and, to paraphrase Isaac Asimov in his science fiction Foundation: violence is the last resort of the incompetent.

ana santos

racism

2009-03-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Racism is the trend of thought, or way of thinking which gives great importance to the notion of the existence of separate human races and over each other. Where there is a belief that some individuals and the relationship between heritable physical characteristics, and certain traits of character and intelligence, or cultural, are superior to others. Racism is not a scientific theory but a set of pre conceived opinions where the main function is to exploit the biological differences between humans, which some believe is superior to the other according to their racial matrix. The belief of the existence of superior and inferior races was often used to justify slavery, the dominance of certain other peoples, and the genocide that occurred throughout the history of mankind.

ana santos

culture

2009-03-08T13:55:00.001-07:00

Culture is dynamic. How adaptive mechanism and cumulative, the culture change. Traces are lost, others are added in different rates in different societies.

Two basic mechanisms allow for cultural change: the invention or introduction of new concepts, and dissemination of concepts from other cultures. There is also the discovery, which is a kind of cultural change caused by the revelation of something unknown by the society and she decides to adopt.

The change usually leads to resistance. Since the aspects of cultural life are linked together, the minimum change of only one of them can cause effects at all. Changes in the way of produce, for example, can interfere in the choice of members to the government or the application of laws. Resistance to change is an advantage in that it only changes really useful, and are therefore inevitable, will be taken to avoid the effort of society to embrace and then reject a new concept.

ana santos

Racism

2009-03-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Racism or prejudice is as old as mankind. The fear of the unknown is a natural reaction. Throughout the history people have made borders and strong defences to keep strangers out. In the effort to keep strangers out people are developing still stronger and more effective weapons. This striving toward safety has started several wars and killed millions of people

Racism exists practically in all countries.
If things are going badly many people’s natural reaction is to blame somebody else. This is exactly what often causes racism, if the unemployment is rising or the national economy is very weak.

-> RACISM IS CAUSED BY FEAR

In some cases racism can generate such an enormous amount of anger that it can cause a war. The thing that causes this anger is mainly fear.
To fight racism we have to get to know each other and learn more about each other’s cultures. We have got to share each other’s joys, but also learn that we often have the same problems and worries.

RACISM RUINS LIVES!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism

Carolina Varela

Discrimination

2009-03-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Discrimination can occur by gender, age, color, marital status, religion, or because the person, the bearer of some type of disability. You can also occur simply because the employee proposed action against a former employer or because they participated in a strike. Discrimination is still sick, sexual orientation, appearance, and a number of other reasons that have nothing to do with the conditions required for the effective performance of the function provided. The discriminatory act can be embodied also in the requirement for personal or certificates of medical examinations of applicants for employment

ana santos

Martin Luther King

2009-03-07T02:31:00.001-08:00

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American pastor, activist and famous leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to protected progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon today.
One of the moments more remembered by everyone it’s was “I have a dream” speech where King told his desire for a future where blacks and whites, among others, would coexist pleasantly as equals on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Prizes
In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004;Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.

Adriana

Women victory

2009-03-07T02:26:00.000-08:00

Votes for women were first seriously proposed in the United States in July, 1848, at the Seneca Falls Woman's Rights Convention organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. One woman who attended that convention was Charlotte Woodward. She was nineteen at the time. In 1920, when women finally won the vote throughout the nation, Charlotte Woodward was the only participant in the 1848 Convention who was still alive to cast her vote. Eighty-one years old, she cast her vote proudly.

Adriana

KKK

2009-03-07T02:24:00.001-08:00

Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic militant organization in the United States.
The KKK has intimidated, murder, and oppresses African Americans, Jews and other minorities because their political ideology stands on a white supremacy and nationalism.

In Existence

1st Klan 1865-1870s (created by Confederate Army veterans)
2nd Klan 1915-1944 (created after World War 1 by Americans)
3rd Klan since 1946 (no record)

Members
1st Klan 550, 000
2nd Klan 4,000,000
3rd Klan 6,000

Adriana

Native Americans

2009-03-07T02:15:00.000-08:00

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous people from the regions of North America . They comprise a large number of distinct tribes,states and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. There has been a large range of terms used to describe them and no agreement has been reached among indigenous members as to what they prefer to be called collectively. Native Americans have also been known as American Indians, Amerindians, Aboriginal, Indians, Indigenous, Original Americans, First Americans, Red Indians, or Red Men.

European colonization of the Americas was a period of conflict. Most of the written historical record about Native Americans began with European contact. The differences between these two cultures were vast enough to make for great misunderstandings and create long-lasting cultural conflicts.

Today

Native Americans today have a special relationship with the United States of America. They can be found as nations, tribes, or bands of Native Americans who have independence from the government of the

United States

, and whose society and culture still flourish amidst a larger immigrated people. Native Americans who were not already U.S. citizens as granted by other provisions such as with a treaty term were granted citizenship in 1924 by the Congress of the United States.

Adriana

2009-03-07T01:58:00.000-08:00

Refugee camps

2009-03-07T01:49:00.001-08:00

What is a refugee camp?

l A refugee camp is a temporary camp built to receive refugees of war or natural disasters. Hundreds of thousands or even millions of people may live in any one single camp depending on the type of crisis . Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations or international organizations such as the Red Cross.

l People can stay in these camps receiving emergency food and medicinal help, until it is safe to return to their homes.

l Camps are usually located on the edges of towns or cities in a secure area, away from the border, war zones and landmines

Refugee live

l Refugee shelters are made with local materials like wood, plastic , metal sheets, branches etc. The space per shelter is minimum 3.5 square meters (warm climate) or 4.5-5.5 square meters (cold climate).

l Some camps have a their own water source such as a lake , a river or a well and the shelters shouldn't be no more than 100 meters from that water point.

l Food distribution can be done at one location or broken up among several (i.e. dividing a population of 20,000 among four distribution points).

Food Rations

l Here is a example of a daily food rations (gpp = grams per person)

àRice, wheat or maize àSugar 15 (gpp)

400 (gpp)

àBeans, peas or lentils àSalt 5 (gpp)

60 (gpp)

àVegetable oil or butter oil
25 (gpp)

àFortified blended food (i.e. corn soya blend)
100 (gpp)

Adriana

2009-03-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Right to education

The right to education is recognized as a human right and is understood to establish an entitlement to free, compulsory primary education for all children, an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all children, as well as equitable access to higher education, and a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these accesses to education provisions the right to education encompasses also the obligation to eliminate discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve quality.

Every woman, man, youth and child has the human right to education, training and information, and to other fundamental human rights dependent upon realization of the human right to education. The human right of all persons to education is explicitly set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other widely adhered to international human rights treaties and Declarations .

The sociology of education is the study of how social institutions and forces affect educational processes and outcomes, and vice versa. By many, education is understood to be a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving greater equality and acquiring wealth and status for all. Education is perceived as a place where children can develop according to their unique needs and potentialities. The purpose of education can be to develop every individual to their full potential.

Education is becoming increasingly international. Not only are the materials becoming more influenced by the rich international environment, but exchanges among students at all levels are also playing an increasingly important role. In Europe, for example, the Erasmus Programme stimulates exchanges across European universities.

done by: Alyssa

2009-03-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

Indigenous

Indigenous people can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside immigrants which have populated the region and which are greater in number (basically groups of people who have origins from or relations to the people who used to live in that region).

Wherever Indigenous cultural identity is asserted, some particular set of societal issues and concerns may be voiced, or have a particular dimension associated with, their indigenous status. These concerns will often be commonly held or affect other societies also, and are not necessarily experienced uniquely by indigenous groups.

Despite the diversity of Indigenous peoples, it may be noted that they share common problems and issues in dealing with the widespread, or invading, society. They are generally concerned that the cultures of Indigenous peoples are being lost and that indigenous peoples suffer both discrimination and pressure to assimilate into their surrounding societies.

It is also sometimes argued that it is important for the human species as a whole to preserve a wide range of cultural diversity as possible, and that the protection of indigenous cultures is vital to this enterprise.

International Day of the World's Indigenous People

The International Day of the World's Indigenous People is on the 9 August as this was the date of the first meeting in 1982 of the United Nations Working Group of Indigenous Populations of the Sub commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the Commission on Human Rights.

done by: Alyssa

2009-03-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

Multiculturalism

The term multiculturalism generally refers to an applied ideology of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the demographics of a specified place, usually at the scale of an organization such as a school, business, neighborhood, city or nation.

Some countries have official policies of multiculturalism aimed at recognizing, celebrating and maintaining the different cultures or cultural identities within that society to promote social cohesion. Multiculturalism advocates a society that extends equitable status to distinct cultural and religious groups, with no one culture predominating.

There are many advocates of multiculturalism particularly in academia and the media. The ideology remains controversial and is opposed by those who support particular cultural standards.

Multiculturalism was adopted as official policy, in several Western nations from the 1970s onward, for reasons that varied from country to country; the great cities of the Western world are increasingly made of a so many different types of cultures.

Government multicultural policies may include:

Recognition of multiple citizenship (the multiple citizenship itself usually results from the nationality laws of another country);

Government support for newspapers, television, and radio in minority languages
Support for minority festivals, holidays, and celebrations;

Acceptance of traditional and religious dress in schools, the military, and society in general
Support for music and arts from minority cultures ;

Programs to encourage minority representation in politics, SET (Science, Engineering and Technology), Mathematics, education, and the work force in general;

Enforcement of different codes of law on members of each ethnic group (e.g. Malaysia enforces Shar'ia law, but only for a particular ethnic group).

done by: Alyssa

2009-03-03T06:18:00.000-08:00

Xenophobia

The word xenophobia consists of two parts: xeno, a combining form meaning "guest, stranger, person that looks different from you, foreigner", and phobia, "fear or horror”

As with all phobias, a xenophobic person is aware of the fear, and therefore has to genuinely think or believe at some time that the target is in fact a foreigner. This perhaps separates xenophobia from racism and ordinary prejudice in that someone of a different race does not necessarily have to be of a different nationality. In various contexts, the terms "xenophobia" and "racism" seem to be used interchangeably, though they can have very different meanings (xenophobia can be based on various aspects, racism being based only on race and ancestry).

For xenophobia there are two main objects of the phobia. The first is a population group present within a society that is not considered part of that society. Often they are recent immigrants, but xenophobia may be directed against a group which has been present for centuries. This form of xenophobia can elicit or facilitate hostile and violent reactions, such as mass expulsion of immigrants, pogroms, or in the worst case, genocide.

The second form of xenophobia is primarily cultural, and the objects of the phobia are cultural elements which are considered alien. All cultures are subject to external influences, but cultural xenophobia is often narrowly directed, for instance at foreign loan words in a national language. It rarely leads to aggression against individual persons, but can result in political campaigns for cultural or linguistic purification. Isolationism, a general aversion of foreign affairs, is not accurately described as xenophobia.

done by: Alyssa

2009-03-03T05:13:00.000-08:00

Disability

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of countries have passed laws aimed at reducing discrimination against people with disabilities.
These laws have begun to appear as the notion of civil rights has become more influential globally, and follow other forms of anti-discrimination and equal opportunity.
In 2006, the United Nations formally agreed on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first human rights accord of the 21st century, to protect and enhance the rights and opportunities of the world's estimated 650 million disabled people.
Countries that sign up to the convention will be required to adopt national laws, and remove old ones, so that people with disabilities would, for example, have equal rights to education, employment, and cultural life; the right to own and inherit property; not be discriminated against in marriage, children, etc;
(The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights and achieving world peace.)

Discrimination in employment

A more recent law, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), disallow private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, promotion, compensation, job training, conditions and privileges of employment.
This includes organizations like retail businesses, movie theaters, and restaurants. They must make "reasonable accommodation" to people with different needs.

Education

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), special educational support is limited to children and youth, although there are lot’s of associations for people with disability.

The social model

The social model of disability sees the issue of disability mainly as a socially created problem, and basically as a matter of the full integration of individuals into society. In this model disability is not an attribute of an individual, but rather a complex collection of conditions, many of which are created by the social environment.
(the management of the problem requires social action, which is the collective responsibility of society to make the environmental modifications necessary for the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of social life.)

Sports

There are a wide range of sports that have been adapted to be played by people with varying types of disability, as well as several that are unique to disabled sports. Within each movement, different sports are practiced at different levels; for example, not all sports in the Paralympic movement are part of the Paralympic Games.

Done by: Alyssa

Martin Luther King

2009-03-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King was an American clergyman.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize and he was one of the principal leaders of the American civil rights movements.
His original name was Michael and he was later renamed Martin.

King first achieved national renown when he helped mobilise the black boycott of the Montgomery bus system in 1955. This was organised after Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man - in the segregated south, black people could only sit at the back of the bus. The 382-day boycott led the bus company to change its regulations, and the supreme court declared such segregation unconstitutional.

In 1957 King was active in the organisation of the Southern Leadership Christian Conference (SCLC), formed to coordinate protests against discrimination. He advocated non-violent direct action based on the methods of Gandhi, who led protests against British rule in India culminating in India's independence in 1947.

In 1963, King led mass protests against discriminatory practices in Birmingham, Alabama where the white population were violently resisting desegregation. The city was dubbed 'Bombingham' as attacks against civil rights protesters increased, and Martin Luther King was arrested for his part in the protests.

After he was released, King participated in the civil rights march in Washington in August 1963, and said his famous 'I have a dream' speech, predicting a day when the promise of freedom and equality for all would become a reality in America. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1965, he led a campaign to register blacks to vote. The same year the US Congress passed the Voting Rights Act outlawing the discriminatory practices that had barred blacks from voting in the south.As the civil rights movement became increasingly radicalised, King found that his message of peaceful protest was not shared by many in the younger generation. King began to protest against the Vietnam war and poverty levels in the US. He was assassinated on 4 April 1968 during a visit to Memphis, Tennessee.

Source: http://images.google.pt/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mccsc.edu/~dwright/All/mklbiography_files/image002.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mccsc.edu/~dwright/All/mklbiography.htm&usg=__mUSmEa6rNk1_VF_CSyS52iHgKBw=&h=320&w=320&sz=11&hl=pt-BR&start=2&um=1&tbnid=PIgfXuViR_KARM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmartin%2BLuther%2Bking%2B-%2Bbiography%26hl%3Dpt-BR%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_pt-BRPT291PT292%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Carolina Varela

Stereotypes

2009-03-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group based on an image (often wrong) about what people in that group are like.
One study of stereotypes revealed:

Americans:
- Generally considered to be friendly, generous, and tolerant, but also arrogant, impatient, and domineering.

Asians:
- Considered astute and alert, but reserved.

Obviously, not all Americans are friendly and generous and not all Asians are astute.
If you suppose you know what a person is like and don't look at each person as an individual, you are likely to make errors in your estimates of a person's character.

Every day, in school people come talk to us about other people and we create an image, probably wrong, of that person and it shouldn’t happen. People should, in the first place, meet each other and then take the conclusions about the person but only after they met each other.

Search:http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/stereoty.htm

Carolina Varela

Most common immigration problems

2009-02-28T17:17:00.000-08:00

- Getting permission to stay in the country longer than you originally intended;
- Getting permission to do something which you are not allowed to do, for example, get a job;
- Bringing relatives into the country;
- Being threatened with deportation from the country where you are;
- Being held by the immigration authorities in a detention centre;
- Wanting for a passport and not knowing whether you are entitled to a country passport or some other passport;
- Wanting to apply to become a country Citizen;
- If you are already living in some country but you want to travel (for example, to go on holiday), you have to question whether you will be allowed back into the other country;
- The permission to use state services or claim benefits, for example, education, health services, council housing, social security benefits, housing benefits, council tax benefit;
- The right to vote;
- A relative or friend being refused entry to country when arriving at an airport or port;
- Problems with people living in the country where you arrived (discrimination).

Sourche: http://www.justice-explained.com/Immigration-problems.asp
Carolina Varela

Discrimination by Age, Sex, Gender and Ability

2009-02-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

We are all different and that makes us equal.

Stop discrimination and the world will be a better place!

Sourch:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruPJ7BC1i9s

Carolina Varela

Wake up!

2008-12-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

You have a choice!

Let's stop to ruin the world and start to improve it!

We have the duty of save the world!

Don't let the planet give up of us, so don't give up of the planet!

Wake up!
Take the best choice!
Help the environment!

Source:http://www.dialogosuniversitarios.com.br/UserFiles/91/Image/Responsabilidade/planetaterra2.jpg
Carolina, Alyssa, Andriana, Ana Beatriz

The memory of climate

2008-12-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

More generally, most forms of internal variability in the climate system can be recognized as a form of hysteresis, meaning that the current state of climate reflects not only the inputs, but also the history of how it got there. For example, a decade of dry conditions may cause lakes to shrink, plains to dry up and deserts to expand. In turn, these conditions may lead to less rainfall in the following years. In short, climate change can be a self-perpetuating process because different aspects of the environment respond at different rates and in different ways to the fluctuations that inevitably occur.

ana santos

Ocean variability

2008-12-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

On the scale of decades, climate changes can also result from interaction of the atmosphere and oceans. Many climate fluctuations — including not only the El Niño Southern oscillation (the best known) but also the Pacific decadal oscillation, the North Atlantic oscillation, and the Arctic oscillation — owe their existence at least in part to different ways that heat can be stored in the oceans and move between different reservoirs. On longer time scales ocean processes such as thermohaline circulation play a key role in redistributing heat, and can dramatically affect climate.

ana santos

glaciation

2008-12-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

Glaciers are recognized as being among the most sensitive indicators of climate change, advancing substantially during climate cooling (e.g., the Little Ice Age) and retreating during climate warming on moderate time scales. Glaciers grow and collapse, both contributing to natural variability and greatly amplifying externally forced changes. For the last century, however, glaciers have been unable to regenerate enough ice during the winters to make up for the ice lost during the summer months (see glacier retreat).
The most significant climate processes of the last several million years are the glacial and interglacial cycles of the present ice age.[citation needed] Though shaped by orbital variations, the internal responses involving continental ice sheets and 130 m sea-level change certainly played a key role in deciding what climate response would be observed in most regions. Other changes, including Heinrich events, Dansgaard–Oeschger events and the Younger Dryas show the potential for glacial variations to influence climate even in the absence of specific orbital changes.

ana santos

clima change

2008-12-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences. Average weather may include average temperature, precipitation and wind patterns. It involves changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over durations ranging from decades to millions of years. These changes can be caused by dynamic processes on Earth, external forces including variations in sunlight intensity, and more recently by human activities.
In recent usage, especially in the context of environmental policy, the term "climate change" often refers to changes in modern climate (see global warming). For information on temperature measurements over various periods, and the data sources available, see temperature record. For attribution of climate change over the past century, see attribution of recent climate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change

ana santos

Eutrophication

2008-11-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

Picture 1: Seven Cities Lagoon

Not everything pretty is good

Every day we watch on TV news about water courses polluted. Near us, the creek of ‘Marrases’ is a very good example of it.
Water is considered contaminated when its' compositions are changed for the presence of strange substances.
Industry, cattle and agriculture are the principal responsiblity of this water pollution courses.
The subject of this post will be the eutrophication of the seven cities lagoon in Azores.
On the lands surrounding the lagoon, the agriculturists use fertilizers and pesticides. The excess of these substances is dragged to the lagoon and the water stays rich in nutrients. The nutrients presents in the lagoon promote the phytoplankton’s grown and multiplication. The phytoplankton accumulated on the surface of the water form one layer that obstruct the solar light and the submerged plants die because they can’t product their own aliment and oxygen without light. Consequence of it death, the compositors fed from it and spend all the oxygen present in water which will provoke the death of the fishes and other animals that lives in this lagoon.
The consequence of eutrophication is an enormous lack of oxygen.
So, when we look to the Seven Cities Lagoon and we have a great impression of it, it doesn’t correspond to good water, because life is only allowed to exist in the surface. But there are methods to prevent eutrophication. Methods like, chemical treatments, artificial airing and removal of plants.

‘Not everything that seems is.’

Picture 2: Seven Cities Lagoon

Sources: http://www.propertyopportunitiesbyowner.com/lagoa_das_7cidades.jpg

http://img.olhares.com/data/big/77/777161.jpg

Carolina

Global Warming

2008-11-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

Picture 1: Facories polluting the atmosphere

Atmospheric Pollution (greenhouse effect)

Global Warming results from the industrial development which leads to a better life in the society.
Everything starts with the Industrial Revolution.
The appearing of factories, which every day, trough their chimneys put in the atmosphere tons of gases which cause the greenhouse effect.
Cars, which circulate 24 hours a day, to can move realize combustions and one of the products of this combustion are gases, that trough the exhaust pipes free gases to the atmosphere that will join to the gases released from the factories increasing the greenhouse effect.
If we join the gases that results from the domestic activities to this factors we can conclude that in the developed countries, every day are realized activities that contributes for the changes of the constituents or it concentration in the atmosphere.
Another global warming cause is the deforestation because they are the only ‘factories’ that can remove Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and return Oxygen (O2) to the atmosphere.
The global warming has awful consequences like ice melting, habitats destruction, sea level rise, more precipitation, more hurricanes and storms, extinction of species, less drinkable water available and ecosystems will change.
It depends of us take conscience of the attitudes that we have to take in the day-by-day to avoid the increasing of the global warming. The same has to happen with the factories which need to have chimneys biggest with filters to be able to hold back some substances produced and release others in big distances.
The government of all the countries has to implement a politic with the objective: Preserve the environment!

There are many solutions to this problem. Solutions like improvements to energy efficiency and vehicle fuel economy, increases in wind and solar power, the increase in the use of natural gas and nuclear power and the increasing of forestlands.
Planet Earth is only one and it has to be of everyone.

Why to ruin if we can improve?!

Sources: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/

Carolina

Drought

2008-11-29T16:07:00.000-08:00

Picture 1: Drought Picture 2: Drought Picture 3: Drought

A drought is a long phase of months or even years when a region remarks an insufficiency in its water supply. In general, this occurs when a region receives continually lower standard precipitation. The agriculture and the ecosystem of the affected area can suffer substantial impacts because of droughts. The damages of a drought, even a short drought can be devastating in the local and in the economy. This phenomenon has a wide impact on agriculture. ‘The United Nations estimates that an area of fertile soil the size of Ukraine is lost every year because of drought, deforestation and climate instability’.

- Causes

- High pressure systems;
- Winds carrying continental;
- Oceanic air masses;
- High pressure areas;
- Oceanic and atmospheric weather cycles (El Niño-Southern Oscillation);
- Deforestation;
- Erosion;
- Climate change.

- Consequences

- Diminished crop growth or yield production and carrying capacity for livestock;
- Wildfires;
- Shortages of water for industrial users;
- Dust storms;
- Malnutrition, dehydration and related diseases;
- Famine (because of the lack of water for irrigation);
- Social unrest;
- Mass migration, resulting in internal displacement and international refugees;
- War over natural resources, including water and food;
- Reduced electricity production due;
- Reduced water flow because of hydroelectric dams;
- Snakes migration and increases in snakebites;
- Erosion of landscape;
- Damages of terrestrial and aquatic habitat.

- Stages of drought

- Meteorological: when there is a prolonged period with less than average precipitation. This kind of drought usually precedes the other kinds of drought.

- Agricultural: affects crop production or the ecology of the range. This condition can also arise independently from any chance in precipitation levels when soil conditions and erosion provoked by a bad planned agricultural endeavors cause a shortfall in water available to the crops. However, in a traditional drought, it is caused by an extended period of below average precipitation.

- Hydrological: when the water reserves available in sources like aquifers, lakes and reservoirs falls below the statistical average.

- How to prevent?

- Desalination of sea water;
- Drought monitoring;
- Land use (carefully planned to help minimize erosion);
- Rainwater harvesting;
- Recycle water;
- Irrigation in drought-prone areas;
- Water restrictions;
- Cloud seeding;

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought#Drought_mitigation_strategies

http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/drought.jpg

http://www.naringalchurch.org/images/Drought%20branch.jpg

http://www.rcdnet.org/Documents/Drought/Drought%20Pix.jpg

Carolina

Flood

2008-11-29T12:50:00.000-08:00

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land.
‘Flowing water’, may also be applied to the inflow of the tide.
Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, exceeding the total capacity of it.
The word comes from the Old English 'flod', a word common to Teutonic languages.

- Principal types of flood

- Riverine floods;

- Estuarine floods;

- Coastal floods;

- Catastrophic floods;

- Muddy floods;

- Other (Floods can occur if water accumulates across an impermeable surface and cannot rapidly dissipate)

- Typical effects

Primary effects:

- Physical damage: Can range anywhere from bridges, cars, buildings, sewer systems, roadways, canals and any other type of structure.

- Casualties: People and livestock die from drowning. It can also lead to epidemics and diseases.

Secundary effects:

- Water supplies: Contamination of water. Drinkable water becomes scarce.

- Diseases: Unhygienic conditions.

- Crops and food supplies: Shortage of food crops can be caused by the loss of entire harvest.

- Trees: Some species can die from suffocation.

Tertiary - Long-term effects:

- Economic (decline in tourism, rebuilding costs, food shortage leading to price increase, and more).

- Some flood defences, planning, and management

- Levees;
- Bunds;
- Reservoirs;
- Sea walls;
- Beach nourishment.

- Flood clean-up safety

This kind of activities next floods usually signify hazards to the people involved in this kind of work. There are all kind of dangers in this work, so they have to use protections to avoid any kind of damages.

-Benefits of flooding

Floods, usually represents awful effects on human life. On the other hand, floods can also be good. Flooding can bring benefits like making soil more fertile and providing nutrients in which it is deficient. In the past, periodic floods were vital to the welfare of primordial communities like the Egyptians.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooding

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http://climatex.org/media/images-image-image/Flood_thames.jpg

Carolina

Pollution of the Oceans

2008-11-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

Pollution & the sea

Like oil and waterOne significant impact of human activity upon the oceans is marine pollution. It is not just oil pollution from accidents and illegally discharged tank cleaning wastes. Besides the high visibility of oil spills upon marine environments the total quantities involved are reduced by those of pollutants introduced from other sources (including domestic sewage, industrial discharges, leakages from waste tips, urban and industrial run-off, accidents, spillage, explosions, sea dumping operations, oil production, mining, agriculture nutrients and pesticides, waste heat sources, and radioactive discharges).

Land based sources are estimated to account for around 44 percent of the pollutants entering the sea and atmospheric inputs account for an estimated 33 percent. By contrast, maritime transport accounts only for around 12 percent.

Toxic chemicals

The input of man-made chemicals to the oceans potentially involves a huge number of different substances. 63,000 different chemicals are thought to be in use worldwide with 3000 accounting for 90 percent of the total production tonnage. Each year, anywhere up to 1000 new synthetic chemicals may be brought into the market.

Of all these chemicals some 4500 fall into the most serious category. These, known as persistent organic pollutants, they're resistant to breakdown and have the potential to accumulate in the tissues of living organisms (all marine life), causing hormone disruption which can cause reproductive problems, induce cancer, suppress the immune system and interfere with normal development in children.

Oil

The most visible and familiar form of pollution is oil pollution caused by tanker accidents and tank washing at sea, and in addition to the gross visible short term impacts, severe long term problems can also result. In the case of the Exxon Valdez (name of an oil tanker) which ran aground in Alaska in 1989, biological impacts from the oil spill can still be identified 15 years after the event. The Prestige, which sank off the Spanish coast late in 2002, resulted in huge economic losses as it polluted more than 100 beaches in France and Spain and effectively destroyed the local fishingindustry.

Alyssa

Acid Rain

2008-11-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

- Definition

Precipitation that presents an acid pH because of the presence of acids which are formed by the reaction of the sulphur and the nitrogen with the atmospheric water that form the precipitation, essentially rain.

- Acid rain formations

Sulphur dioxide and nitric oxides are primary contaminants (they are formed directly from the combustion or from the evaporation of coal and derivates from petrol.
The cars that use derivates from petrol release to the air sulphur dioxide and nitric oxides. These gases react with the atmospheric water and because of that they are changed into secondary contaminants (sulfuric acid and acid nitric). The water that is full of these acids will kill everything where it falls.
The human being contributes with 130/150 millions of tons of sulphur dioxide and 60/70 millions of tons of nitric oxides.

- Acid rain can affect:

- Surface waters and aquatic animals;
- Soils;

- Forests and other vegetation;

- Human health;

- Acid rain can also cause damage to certain building materials and historical monuments (e.g. Battle monastery - Portugal)

- Affected areas:

- Most of Europe (particularly Scandinavia);

- Many parts of U.S.A. (states like New York);

- South Western Canada;

- South Eastern coast of China;

- Taiwan.

- Potential problem areas in the future:

- Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand;

- Western South Africa (the country);

- Southern India;

- Sri Lanka;

- West Africa.

- Prevention methods

- Conserve energy;

- Collective transports utilization;

- Use of subway;

- Use less pollutant power;

- Use fuels with less sulphur.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain

http://www.abae.pt/programa/EE/escola_energia/2006/Conteudos/sala1/sala1_8.jpg

Carolina

Plants extinction

2008-11-29T09:59:00.000-08:00

An international team of scientists has published a new analysis showing that as plant species around the world go extinct, natural habitats become less productive and contain fewer total plants a situation that could ultimately compromise important benefits that humans get from nature.

Example

Hundreds of medicinal plants are at risk of extinction, threatening the discovery of future cures for disease, according to experts.
Over 50% of prescription drugs are derived from chemicals first identified in plants.
But the Botanic Gardens Conservation International said many were at risk from over-collection and deforestation.
Researchers warned the cures for things such as cancer and HIV may become "extinct before they are ever found". They identified 400 plants that were at risk of extinction. (Magnolias are one of hundreds of plants under danger)

Adriana

Volcano eruptions

2008-11-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanic activity involving the extrusion of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a period of time.

Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. Volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.

Active of eruption , with those that erupt regularly called active, those that have erupted in historical times but are now quiet called dormant and those that have not erupted in historical times called extinct.

Scientists usually consider a volcano to be active if it is currently erupting or showing signs of unrest, such as unusual earthquake activity or significant new gas emissions. Many scientists also consider a volcano active if it has erupted in historic time

Extinct volcanoes are those that scientists consider unlikely to erupt again, because the volcano no longer has a lava supply. Examples of extinct volcanoes are many volcanoes on the Hawaiian islands in the U.S.

It is difficult to distinguish an extinct volcano from a dormant one because volcanoes are usually considered to be extinct if there are no written records of its activity. Many volcanoes may remain dormant for a long period of time and it is not uncommon for a so-called "extinct" volcano to erupt.

Adriana

Hurricanes

2008-11-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

Hurricanes are cyclones that develop over the warm tropical oceans and have sustained winds in excess of 64 knots (74 miles/hour). These storms are capable of producing dangerous winds, torrential rains and flooding, all of which may result in tremendous property damage and loss of life in coastal populations.

For every year, there is a pre-approved list of names for tropical storms and hurricanes. These lists have been generated by the National Hurricane Center since 1953. At first, the lists consisted of only female names; however, since 1979, the lists alternate between male and female.

2009 Hurricane Names

Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Erika
Fred
Grace
Henri
Ida
Joaquin
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wand

The Saffron-Simpson Hurricane Scale is utilized to determine the relative strengths of hurricanes that may impact the United States coast. Since the 1990s, only wind speed has been used to categorize hurricanes.

Category One Hurricane

Maximum Sustained Wind Speed: 74-95 miles per hour
Damage Category: Minimal
Approximate Pressure: Above 980 mb
Approximate Storm Surge: 3-5 feet
Examples: Hurricane Lili (2002) in Louisiana; Hurricane Gaston (2004) in South Carolina

Category Two Hurricane

Maximum Sustained Wind Speed: 96-110 miles per hour
Damage Category: Moderate
Approximate Pressure: 979-965 mb
Approximate Storm Surge: 6-8 feet
Example: Hurricane Isabel (2003) in North Carolina

Category Three Hurricane

Maximum Sustained Wind Speed: 111-130 miles per hour
Damage Category: Extensive
Approximate Pressure: 964-945 mb
Approximate Storm Surge: 9-12 feet
Examples: Hurricane Katrina (2005) in Louisiana; Hurricane Jeanne (2004) in Florida; Hurricane Ivan (2004) in Alabama

Category Four Hurricane

Maximum Sustained Wind Speed: 131-155 miles per hour
Damage Category: Extreme
Approximate Pressure: 944-920 mb
Approximate Storm Surge: 13-18 feet
Example: Hurricane Charley (2004) in Florida; Hurricane Iniki (1992) in Hawaii; the Galveston Hurricane (1900) in Texas

Category Five Hurricane

Maximum Sustained Wind Speed: Above 155 miles per hour
Damage Category: Catastrophic
Approximate Pressure: Below 920 mb
Approximate Storm Surge: More than 18 feet
Examples: Only three Category 5 hurricanes have struck the United States since records began: The Labor Day Hurricane (1935) in the Florida Keyes, Hurricane Camille (1969) near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and Hurricane Andrew (1992) in Florida.

Adriana

Earthquakes

2008-11-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

An Earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust . Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph.
At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami.
Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments.

What should you do?
You will never have warning that an earthquake is coming. To make sure you and your house are prepared, you should:
• Secure cupboards and bookcases to the wall using bolts. Also try to keep heavy objects on lower shelves so they won’t fall on you during an earthquake.
• Make sure your water heater is secured to a wall. That way, it won’t fall during an earthquake and hurt someone or start a fire.
• If you live in an area that has a lot of earthquakes, make sure that your home is bolted to your foundation. Although this might be expensive, it could save you from a lot of damage to your house during an earthquake.
• Have a disaster plan.

Here are some tips of what to do during an earthquake:
• Do NOT go outside.
• Take cover under a desk, table, or other large and stable piece of furniture. Hold on to it.
• Stay away from windows, heavy furniture, appliances, mirrors, pictures, and anything else that could fall and hurt you.
• If you are driving when an earthquake happens, stop the car if it’s safe. Stay inside your car until the earthquake stops, and don’t drive near bridges or tunnels. Try not to stop by power lines, light posts, signs, or trees.
• Stay alert for falling objects.
• Do NOT use matches, lighters, or candles. If there is a broken gas line, you could spark a fire or explosion.
• Do NOT use elevators. There might be a power outage due to the earthquake, and you could get stuck in the elevator.
After the earthquake stops, here’s what you should do:
• Check yourself and others for injuries. Call 911 if you or someone else needs immediate medical assistance. If the phone lines are not working, try using a cell phone.
• Check to see if electric, water, and gas lines are damaged. If they are, shut off the valves
• Stay away from damaged buildings and areas
• Listen to the radio for more information.

Adriana

Tsunamis

2008-11-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

A tsunami is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Due to the immense amount of water and energy involved, the effects of tsunami can be devastating.

Signs of an approaching Tsunami
Their is often no advance warning of an approaching tsunami. However, since earthquakes are often a cause of tsunami, any earthquake occurring near a body of water may generate a tsunami. A tsunami is not a single wave but a series of waves, also known as a wave train. The first wave in a tsunami is not necessarily the most destructive.
Tsunami waves can be very long (as much as 60 miles, or 100 km) and be as far as one hour apart. They are able to cross entire oceans without great loss of energy.
About 80% of all tsunamis can happed in the Pacific Ocean. Tsunamis also can be caused by landslides, volcanic explosions etc .

How can I protect myself from a tsunami?

What to do Before and During a Tsunami

- Turn on your radio to learn if there is a tsunami warning if an earthquake occurs and you are in a coastal area.
- Move inland to higher ground immediately and stay there.
- Stay away from the beach. Never go down to the beach to watch a tsunami come in. If you can see the wave you are too close to escape it.

What to Do After a Tsunami
- Stay away from flooded and damaged areas until officials say it is safe to return.
- Stay away from debris in the water; it may pose a safety hazard to boats and people.
- Save yourself - not your possessions

Know Your Tsunami Terms
-Advisory
An earthquake has occurred in the Pacific basin, which might generate a tsunami.

-Warning
A tsunami was, or may have been generated, which could cause damage; therefore, people in the warned area are strongly advised to evacuate.

-Watch
A tsunami was or may have been generated, but is at least two hours travel time to the area in Watch status.
Adriana

Deforestation

2008-11-29T05:01:00.000-08:00

Deforestation

Environmental issues have, in the last two decades, received and great deal of publicity and study. Acid Rain, Global Warming and Pollution have been studied extensively. As it has been linked as a human activity to the destruction of the planet that supports our activities, an issue that requires consideration is deforestation and how it affects the natural bio-diversity and balance that has put the planet Earth under stress.

Deforestation refers to the long term loss or conversion of forest cover. It occurs through human actions when deforested areas are prevented from naturally regenerating. Forests are capable of recovering from any destruction like fire, floods, volcanic eruptions and ice ages. What is surprising is that, the recovery of forests that are destroyed through human implication recover faster than forests destroyed through natural causes.

Deforestation varies according to the region. In tropical forests of the world clearing of the land for agricultural and ranching activities are the primary reasons for deforestation. Overpopulation in cities and unequal distribution of land has accelerated the interruption of the rainforest.

According to the World Resources Institute, more than eighty percent of the Earth’s natural forests already have been destroyed. In recent years, the mid-south portion of Tennessee has experienced this devastating event. On a global level, everyone is affected. From a tribal member who lives in a tropical rain forest in Brazil to a local resident of middle Tennessee can be affected.

Impacts of Deforestation: Biodiversity Impacts

Although tropical forests cover only about 7 percent of the Earth’s dry land, they probably have about half of all species on Earth. Many species are so specialized to microhabitats within the forest that they can only be found in small areas.

Their specialization makes them vulnerable to extinction. In addition to the species lost when an area is totally deforested, the plants and animals in the parts of forest that remain also become increasingly vulnerable, sometimes even committed, to extinction. The edges of the fragments dry out and are buffeted by hot winds; mature rainforest trees often die standing at the margins. Huge changes in the types of trees, plants, and insects that can survive in the fragments rapidly reduces biodiversity in the forest that remains.

Alyssa

Endangered dolphins

2008-11-29T04:31:00.000-08:00

Specie like the dolphin are endangered, it means that if this situation is not dealt with properly, soon we might see their specie disappear from our oceans, which seems like its already happening.

Endangered dolphins should be well protected by environmental laws such as the laws protecting common dolphins.Dolphins are endangered for three main reasons and all of them are related to humans.

● the first reason is since both tuna and dolphins follow the same routes, dolphins get caught in the fishermen's nets which are meant to catch tuna. In this case, they get fatally hurt.

● the second reason is fishing for use in human's cuisine. Nowadays, dolphins are protected by laws but nonetheless between 200,000 and 500,000 dolphins were victimized by fishermen during the 1960-1972 years. Also, even if some laws protect dolphins, it allows a certain amount of dolphins to be accidentally caught which still has a negative impact on the dolphins' species.

● the last but not least is pollution, since humans are polluting rivers, seas and oceans, it affects dolphins. Also, since the dolphin is at the top of the food chain, the chemicals that pollute its habitat create the highest level of concentration of these pollutants in its body, as a result, diseases, difficulty to reproduce or even death of these species.

Dolphins aren’t the only victims up to 22,000 dolphins, porpoises and small whales are brutally killed each year by Japanese fishermen in three different hunts. In the last two decades, over 400,000 dolphins and small whales have been killed in and around the coast of Japan.

Alyssa

Penguins dealing with ice melting.

2008-11-29T03:55:00.000-08:00

Melting sea ice and over fishing have triggered a dangerously rapid decline in penguin populations on the Antarctic Peninsula, a direct result of global warming. Temperatures on the frozen continent are rising five times faster than the global average due to the unprecedented rate of climate change, pushing for species close to extinction.

Warmer temperatures are forcing penguins to raise their young on increasingly thinner and more precarious ice floes, while stronger winds mean many eggs and chicks are being blown away from their parents before they are able to survive on their own.

The gentoo, chinstrap and adélie along with the emperor, the largest penguin species in the world are now struggling to survive as melting sea ice destroys nesting sites and reduces vital food sources, such as krill.

As the ice melts, these icons of the Antarctic will have to face an extremely tough battle to survive. One of the coldest environments in the world is actually seeing some of the fastest rates of global warming, and unless action is taken to reduce global CO2 emissions, the future of many Antarctic species looks bad.

The report, entitled Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change, warns sea ice in the West Antarctic peninsula has receded by 40% during the past 26 years, causing certain colonies to decline by as much as 66%.

Alyssa

Seals

2008-11-28T04:10:00.000-08:00

Hunting seals in Canada!

Sealing(witch is the sport of hunting seals) is an off-season activity conducted by fishermen from Canada's East Coast. They make, on average, a small fraction of their annual incomes from sealing, and the rest from commercial fisheries. Even in Newfoundland, where 90 percent of sealers live, the government estimates there are less than 6,000 fishermen who actively participate in the seal hunt each year. Hunters are usually permitted to kill around 325,000 harp seals in March and April. The furs are made into coats and other clothes and there is a growing market for seal oil, which is high in omega 3 fatty acids.

How Many Seals Are Killed Each Year?

Hundreds of thousands.Over the past three years, nearly one million seals have been killed. The current kill levels are higher than they have been in half a century. During the 2006 hunt, the Canadian government allowed fishermen to club and shoot at least 354,344 seals. And the actual number of seals killed is probably far higher than the number reported. Many seals are shot at and injured in the course of the hunt, and studies suggest that a significant number of these animals slip beneath the surface of the water, where they die slowly and are never found.

What's there reason?

The only reason to the question why do these people do this to harmless animals like Seals and any other animal that man kills just to sell there skins or any other part of there body what is there reason; the only reason is selfishness and money, some people don’t care what they have to do to get lots of money, well our world is the result every day we suffer consequences on man kinds selfishness, and some people just want to get to the top no matter how even if that means killing harmless animals that can’t do anything to fight back. That’s why in Canada killing seals is so popular because people are cruel and just want money; like in 2004 the value of seal harvest was worth $16.5 million. This disgusting what they call sport should stop and animals should suffer for what people do.

Alyssa