Saturday 22 December 2007

Merry Christmas

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Moenie vrees nie, want kyk, ek bring julle ‘n goeie tyding van groot blydskap wat vir die hele volk sal wees, dat vir julle vandag in die stad van Dawid gebore is die Saligmaker wat Christus, die Here, is.

Sunday 9 September 2007

Chinese parents fight forced abortions

By ALEXA OLESEN, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 29, 12:35 PM ET
QIAN'AN, China - Yang Zhongchen, a small-town businessman, wined and dined three government officials for permission to become a father. ADVERTISEMENT
But the Peking duck and liquor weren't enough. One night, a couple of weeks before her date for giving birth, Yang's wife was dragged from her bed in a north China town and taken to a clinic, where, she says, her baby was killed by injection while still inside her.
"Several people held me down, they ripped my clothes aside and the doctor pushed a large syringe into my stomach," says Jin Yani, a shy, petite woman with a long ponytail. "It was very painful. ... It was all very rough."
.....you can read the rest of the story at

Thursday 16 August 2007

Mattel issues new massive China toy recall

WASHINGTON - Mattel announced recalls Tuesday for 9 million more Chinese-made toys, including popular Barbie, Polly Pocket and “Cars” movie items, and warned that more could be ordered off store shelves because of lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed.

The recalls came nearly two weeks after Mattel Inc., the nation’s largest toy-maker, recalled 1.5 million Fisher-Price infant toys worldwide, which were also made in China, because of possible lead-paint hazards for children........


BUT this is nowhere to be seen in the Chinese press!! I wonder WHY

Monday 16 July 2007

I am in THAILAND and oh dear all the skwiggles......i can't even post a message because I have no idea which button to press, and I thought China was BAD!!!!

Take care everyone, till next time

Riki

Just to say hello from a new place!

Friday 8 June 2007

Farewell

Dear DLNU students

I want to let you know that I will be leaving China today and I will not be able to continue teaching you. Take care and enjoy your studies!

Riki

Thursday 7 June 2007

ORAL EXAM

I just want to thank all my students for coming to the exam and completing it with care and patience. I hope you do well in all your other subjects!
Riki


Sunday 27 May 2007

Saturday 19 May 2007

DLNU Debate topic for May 29th, 2007


TOPIC: Does noise pollution offend people?


Video pollution offends people's peaceful minds
Rousseau Chen
2006-03-18 07:11


The mushrooming video screens in buses, taxis and apartment lobbies in cities like Shanghai are taking away our already scarce resource: a place for a moment of peace.
Taking a doze or reading a book on buses is less pleasant now, as the LCD screens broadcast news, entertainment and adverts at unbearable volumes.
You pay the bus fare simply to get a ride - fast and undisturbed - but now you are forced to watch and listen when bus companies team up with advertising companies to provide you with this "added value," whether you like it or not.
If it's a crowded bus, the noise from this "entertainment" is even more exasperating.
More and more Chinese cities have joined Shanghai, regarded as the first to install video screens on buses, to annoy tens of millions of passengers.
In just a matter of years, the LCD screens have made inroads into not only buses, but into apartment building lobbies, shopping malls, taxis and even public toilets.
In a city like Shanghai, it is getting harder every passing day to find a public place free of this video pollution.
It is true that some people may like to watch programmes aired on buses or in apartment lobbies. But the fact is that those who don't should be equally respected. Their rights to enjoy a bus ride in quiet should be fully protected.
To this group of people, the bus companies' actions are simply offensive.
Because of the bus screens, students cannot focus on reviewing their lessons or preparing for a test. People who like to read a novel or reflect feel unsettled by the noise. Youngsters who like to listen to music on their iPods must increase the volume to offset the competing audio.
If you already feel stressed after a hectic day in a city like Shanghai, the compulsory bus video advertising certainly escalates the tension of both your muscles and nervous system.
Bus drivers and conductors are surely the worst victims because they have to bear it at least eight hours a day, non-stop.
A high public tolerance for - and low public awareness of - noise pollution has provided bus video advertisers with a paradise in which to expand their businesses.
Some companies involved in the business have already become rising stars on the stock market.
But opposition has already started to make its voice heard.
Some people have already accused bus companies of violating their contracts, since their obligation is to deliver passengers to their destinations, not bombard them with noisy broadcasts.
People are also complaining to consumers rights associations at various levels.
In Urumqi of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, parents protested against improper obstetric/gynaecology commercials on video-equipped buses that might be disturbing to their children.
While the bus TV market may be lucrative, bus companies and their collaborators - the advertising firms - are simply unethical in planting the screens in buses without getting a nod from commuters, or residents in the case of apartment lobbies.
Even if the majority of passengers and residents enjoy the programming, the minority should still be respected and given a choice.
Similar situations are dealt with much better on planes, where passengers are given headphones if they want to listen to programmes. Those who don't can still sleep soundly or read their books.
Lawmakers should legislate against such sight and sound pollution in public places, just as they deal with any other kind of pollution.
There is a reason why you don't see such annoyances in other major international cities around the world, definitely not because they don't have the money and technology to do this. It is simply a matter of civic conduct.
The government should take action to stop the blatant abuse of the public interest and protect the consumers' rights.
The general public that relies so much on public transit system and opposes the bus video screens should also make more noise to consumer rights associations, bus companies and advertisers, before those companies discover more places for the screens.
Companies betting on the bus video bonanza should start to revise their business strategy, because rising public discontent may hurt their bottom lines.
Bus video screens do not strike a chord of harmony among passengers at a time when our whole nation is talking about building a harmonious society.
Shanghai, which aspires to become a world-class city and host the World Expo 2010, should set an example for the rest of the country. It should first adopt world-class behaviour in its massive public transit system.

Friday 11 May 2007

Mom prepares for 17th child


The Duggar Family LITTLE ROCK — The Duggars are once again pulling out the pink ruffles and lace as they prepare for the birth of baby number 17.



Michelle Duggar said Monday in a telephone interview from her northwest Arkansas home that the whole family is excited about the arrival of the baby girl they will name Jennifer Danielle, keeping with the family tradition of giving the child a name that begins with J. Jennifer Danielle is due July 27.

The Duggars' other children are John David, 17; Jessa, 14; Jinger, 13; Joseph, 12; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 10; Jeremiah, 8; Jedidiah, 8; Jason, 7, James, 5; Justin, 4; and Jackson Levi, 2.


http://www.investors.com/editorial/cartoon.asp

Thursday 10 May 2007

Debate DLNU students

Next Debate: 15 th May; DLNU B401, 6:30pm
Topic- Bodypiercing:a STUD or a DUD

(Please note: Last weeks' debate topic will be debated this week)

Tuesday 8 May 2007

classes resume


DLNU students: Please note that I am back in DaLian and that classes and debates will resume starting today. Hope to see you in class.



Riki
posted 9 May 2007


http://web.mit.edu/lipoff/www/england/Debate/

Monday 7 May 2007

No class

Dear Debaters!

I am sorry to cancel the class for tonight - May 8th. I am stuck in Beijing. I plan to be back in DaLian tomorrow---so keep an eye here and I will let you know if we can debate on Thursday

Regards!
Riki

Monday 30 April 2007

Two Buddhists set ablaze in Thai Muslim south.

Appeasement...yep, that will do it


Religion of Peace Strikes Again in Thailand, OIC Advises Appeasement


PATTANI, Thailand (Reuters) - Suspected Muslim militants beheaded a Buddhist man, shot dead his nephew and set both bodies on fire in Thailand’s rebellious far south, police and soldiers said on Monday.

The 30-year man and his 14-year-old nephew were killed in a Muslim village in Pattani, one of the three southern most provinces hit by three years of separatist violence in which more than 2,100 people have been killed.

The head was found 5 km away at a government school where three bombs were planted at the entrance, police Lieutenant Colonel Yuthakan Plienpoe told Reuters.

“They wanted to trap us with these bombs,” Yuthakan said by telephone. Mobile phone service was switched off in the area to prevent the bombs being set off by phone signals.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) advises more appeasement: World Muslim body backs Thai policy on south.

Because it’s been working so well for the last three years.

BANGKOK, April 30 (Reuters) - The head of the world’s largest body of Islamic nations urged Thailand on Monday to stick to its soft approach to resolving a bloody insurgency in the Muslim-majority far south.

“We are encouraged by the new government’s policy toward the Muslim population,” Ekmeleddin Insanoglu, secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), told reporters.

“We support the measures taken by the government and we hope to cooperate for a better future,” he said after talks with Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram on unrest in which more than 2,100 people have been killed since January 2004.

(from LFG)

May Day

is it a work-free or work-day?? just asking

Enjoy your May 1st HOLIDAY

Sunday 29 April 2007



Medicare in USA and canada...and elsewhere? Netherlands, France, South Africa.....
Michael Ramirez

Thursday 26 April 2007

Debate and DVD for DLNU students

Due to the May holiday here in China we will not have Tuesday and Thursday class.

Next Debate: 8 th May; DLNU B401, 6:30pm
Topic- Bodypiercing:a STUD or a DUD

DVD : 10th May
The last part of THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Tuesday 24 April 2007

Debate

Due to the holiday there will be no classes during the 1st week in May for the DLNU students.

The next debate will be 8th May 2007.
TOPIC --- Bodypiercing: a STUD or a DUD ?
Here's some info to help with your preparation

The Earlobe Droop: Aging of Pierced Ears and What You Can Do
I remember begging my mother on my tenth birthday to pierce my ears - a wish I wasn`t allowed to have fulfilled until I was twelve. After piercing became a little more mainstream - with people piercing even their baby`s ears - I later decided to have two more sets done. We`re always hearing about what we`ll look like later on with things like piercing, and these warnings, most times are true. Later on in life, some as early as their forties, many women will experience significantly droopy earlobes, and along with every thing else we`re trying desperately to keep from drooping, this is the last thing we need. We`ll tell you how you can enjoy sporting ear jewelry without looking like a Basset Hound later.

An Ounce Of Prevention...
You know the rest... Is better than an ounce of cure. There actually is a cure for droopy ears caused from piercing, but we`ll talk about prevention first for those of us who still have time to heed the warning. The only completely preventative measure to avoid drooping earlobes is to not pierce. Although they aren`t as common as they used to be, clip-on earrings are still made. Most women don`t like them because it`s embarrassing when they fall off, they are generally uncomfortable, and they have to be changed daily, they are an option to consider. The only other preventative measure is to not wear heavy ear jewelry.

Piercing of the ears became all the rage in the 1980`s, about the same time that big hair and big jewelry did. Unfortunately, women that followed the fad of wearing loud statements in their ears are paying for it later in the life of their ears with droopiness and the inability to wear earrings at all because the earlobes are so worn. If your somewhere in the middle-life or your ear piercing, it`s not too late. If you`ve recently pierced, we`ll give the same advice - stick to studs. No, we don`t mean burly, macho men - they won`t do a bit of good for your ears - by studs we mean one-piece earrings, no more than a quarter-inch in width.

When the Damage Is Done
If your particularly sensitive about your droopy earlobes or would really like to be able to wear ear jewelry again, but can`t - there`s always surgical correction. This type of surgery will completely close the earlobe and will require that it be pierced again upon healing. This can be pricey since it is considered cosmetic and most often times will not be covered by health insurance companies, so make sure ear jewelry is really something you miss.

If ear surgery just doesn`t appeal you, there are some new versions of ear jewelry with special posts for older earlobes. These posts supply a wider surface to flatten the back of the ear against the post and prevent pulling from the front of the ear. Although this method of correction has it`s downfalls - posts are rather large and can often be seen from the side view - it`s cheaper than surgery while allowing you to still enjoy wearing ear jewelry.

Related Articles:

Oral Piercings , Piercings - How to Have Them done Safe and How to Remove Them


How piercing lost its cool factor

No, I was fine. In disbelief, he reached for the X-rays and pointed at fuzzy white-and-black spots. The doctor pulled out a model of a mouth, and peeled away its rubber gums to reveal teeth roots and bones. My gum loss, he said, was the least of my problems. An infection was spreading across my jaw line, eating away at my bone and teeth.
I was going to need surgery and fast. He would remove my gums, clean out the infection and give me several injections of fetal pig teeth protein. Hopefully, he said while pointing to the bone loss on the X-ray, he could rid my mouth from disease and encourage new growth.
Hopefully?! He wasn't certain he could get rid of the infection? He hoped this pig stuff would make my bones grow?! He wanted $1,400 and he wasn't positive this would work. Visions of developing a snout and curly tail danced in my head.
I would need at least seven days to recover. I protested. I couldn't take that type of time off school. I booked my appointment for late April. It was only two months away, I reassured myself. How bad could it get?
It was just before St. Patrick's Day when the severe pain took over. My mouth was in anguish. Sharp, fiery pangs shot up my jaw line. I was in constant pain.
I developed a routine. Tylenol 3's at night and Advil Extra-Strength all day let me get through my classes for just over a week. But it was getting worse.
My doctor saw the mess that was quickly taking over my mouth. The infection was spreading, eating at my jaw; I needed surgery now.
The procedure was fuzzy. I was drugged and frozen, but I'm certain I felt every scrape against my jaw bone. I left with a mouth full of thick black stitches, throbbing gums and a bag of drugs.
The next week was an OxyContin-induced haze. Frozen bags of spinach defrosted on my cheeks. Mountains of pills were ingested each day, applesauce became an entrée and sleeping for 16 hours of 24 was the norm.
I won't know if the pig protein worked for some time. But the infection that was tearing away at my bones is gone.
I'm no longer in pain and the stitches are gone, although I still can't use my front teeth, or enjoy a sandwich.
My situation wasn't unique. Dr. Wayne Karp, a Toronto-area periodontist, says that tongue rings can result in gum and tooth damage. Most often, "it's gum recession, but it depends on where the stud is, how your tongue hits your gums and how big the piercing is," he says.
Gum grafts, where a periodontist removes part of a mouth's roof and transplants the gum to the affected area, are much more common. My situation, "doesn't happen frequently, but as you know, it does happen," Karp says.
It turns out that being trendy, can be destructive.
More than 500 bacteria call your mouth home and with more openings for these germs to explore, serious bacterial infections can destroy the supporting bones that hold your teeth in place.
"Contact with the jewellery can cause teeth to crack or chip and your gums to recede," says Ontario Dental Association spokesperson Dr. Janet Tamo. "Once you start peeling away at your gums, it (the piercing) starts hitting at the bones and teeth. Losing a tooth is a lot easier than you think."
I look at women on the subway with fried hair from all the perms, crimping and teasing that was popular in the 1980s, and wonder if there are always negative consequences to trends.
Then I eye my meaningless heart/daisy tattoo. Anyone know a good removal specialist?


Cristina Howorun is a Ryerson
journalism student.


CareFair.com - Oral Piercings
Jim Borowski | by www.carefair.com. All rights reserved.
15.03 | 22:18
If you`re thinking of piercing something around your mouth, you may want to read up a bit. A professional piercer may give you enough instruction for your piercing`s immediate aftercare, but a dentist or physician can tell you the less appealing information. Oral piercing is usually done around the lips, cheeks and tongue.
Generally, people take them out after only a couple of years. While it`s in place, however, the chances of health problems increase greatly. Because the mouth is a passageway for materials to come in and out of the body, it becomes a hotspot for contamination.
With the tongue in particular, if infectious material from the inside of your mouth gets into the fresh hole, it can travel through the bloodstream and cause heart inflammation, blood poisoning or toxic shock syndrome. The tongue is a muscle, unlike the cheeks and lips, and a piercer also has to be very careful not to puncture any important nerves or veins. These conditions make the tongue one of the most dangerous areas for jewelry, and tongue piercing is regulated or banned in some areas.
Common problems following piercing around the mouth include drooling, speech problems, and movement loss. Jewelry can be mistakenly bitten, fracturing or chipping tooth enamel; and frequent rubbing against gum tissue can cause the gums to wear away from the teeth, sometimes exposing roots or bone. Unfortunately, mishaps with oral jewelry are often permanent and require surgery.
And the longer you wear your piercing, the greater your chances will be of having oral damage. If you want an oral piercing, have it done by a reputable, qualified professional. If s/he refuses to pierce a certain area, seriously consider the reasons why before you try to find somebody else to do it.
If your piercer is passing up an opportunity to make money, they probably have a good reason to be concerned. Ask your dentist for an opinion too. The piercing should be reasonably placed, as determined by a professional, and jewelry should be a comfortable size and shape.
Make sure you get a set of instructions for aftercare, and follow them. This means no kissing and no alcohol until it`s healed, among other things. Although the procedure should be done with surgical grade stainless steel, watch for severe inflammation; you might be allergic to the metal in your jewelry.
For the tongue, a shorter length of barbell is preferable to a longer length. The first barbell will be extra long to give room for your tongue to swell a little, so you will need to buy a shorter one after about a week and a half. Avoid playing with your jewelry to minimize contact with tissues and te even tapping it against your enamel can create tiny fractures.
Just like anything else inside the mouth, jewelry will collect plaque and debris. It is necessary to clean it regularly and replace it if your saliva wears out the material. You should periodically take your jewelry out and clean it by hand.
Lastly, if your piercing starts to give you big problems, don`t hesitate to take it out. Keeping a piece of jewelry in is never worth the health of your mouth. A hole can be re-pierced with less pain than a tooth can be replaced.
Although if it doesn`t seem worth the maintenance, you may be better off without the stud in the first place.

All rights for the published information belongs to www.carefair.com

Friday 20 April 2007

info on this week's debate




from the TORONTO STAR (Newspaper)


Are cars better than bikes?


There are a lot of good reasons to ride a bicycle and every one should be able to choose their own personal reason - ride for recreation, ride for health, ride because you can't afford car insurance and gas. However, conservation and developing a more sustained, personal energy supply are very significant issues.

Cars are a Significant Source of Pollution:
Motor vehicles emissions represent 31% of total carbon dioxide, 81% of carbon monoxide and 49% of nitrogen oxides released in the U.S. (The Clean Air Council). A short, four-mile round trip by bicycle keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe (WorldWatch Institute).

Half of all Americans believe that cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans are the primary cause of air pollution in their communities and 65% are concerned about the level of traffic congestion on the roads in their communities. They’re right -- Americans spend on average 75 minutes a day in their car (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, October 2000 Omnibus Household Survey).

Americans Want to Bike More and Drive Less:
Americans want to have the opportunity to bike to work instead of driving, with 40% of those surveyed saying they would commute by bike if safe facilities were available (survey by Rodale, publisher of Bicycle Magazine).

More than one-third (38%) of all Americans feel that the availability of bikeways, walking paths, and sidewalks for getting to work, shopping, and recreation is very important in choosing where to live (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, October 2000 Omnibus Household Survey).

20% of Americans used a bicycle for transportation in the 30 days measured in the Census Bureau Household Survey. Bicycling is the second most preferred form of transportation after the automobile, ahead of public transportation, with 22.3% of those who bicycled did so more than ten of the 30 days (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, October 2000 Omnibus Household Survey).

Cycling Can Make a Significant Difference:
25% of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40% of all trips are within two miles of the home, and 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work (Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey), distances easily and quickly commutable by bicycle, yet more than 82% of trips five miles or less are made by personal motor vehicle.

60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively. Since "cold starts" create high levels of emissions, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips.

In the past year, more bicycles than cars have been sold in the US. That hasn't happened since the 1973 oil crisis! "Bicycle sales are near an all-time high with 19 million sold last year [worth five to six billion dollars] -- close to the 20 million sold during the oil embargo in the early 1970s," said Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong, an association based in Boulder, Colorado. "Some 87 million people [in the US] have climbed on a bike in the past 12 months," he adds. ::Bicycle sales boom in US amid rising gas prices,

Last year, in Australia, bicycles outsold cars by 30%. And have outsold cars for the past 5 years. But the majority of sales have been for recreational use, not for commuting or day-to-day transport. Since 1997 bicycle sales have increase about 90%. All according to BikeOz News.

In a working paper entitled “The Environmental Paradox of Bicycling”, Karl Ulrich at the University of Pennslyvania reports that shifting people from their cars to bicycles offers almost no benefit to the environment.
Bicycles do have large first-order environmental benefits over cars as a means of transportation. Ulrich’s analysis considers the case in which a formerly sedentary person begins bicycling 10 km per day, 5 days per week. In this scenario, about one ton of CO2 is spared every year in the form of reduced fuel consumption.

This reduction in fuel use is partially offset by the increased food consumption of a cyclist. Although typically we think of food as carbon neutral — because the plants at the bottom of our food chain regrow after we harvest them — this view overlooks the fact that most of us don’t feed ourselves by hunting and gathering. The energy required to grow, harvest, process, package, and transport food to your nearest Whole Foods significantly outweighs the actual caloric content of your meal, by a factor of almost six. In other words, only about 15% of the energy we consume when we eat is actually in our food. The rest is contained in the fossil fuels used to bring our food to us.

But increased food consumption is a relatively minor effect when compared to the overall gas savings of cycling over driving. The real culprit in Ulrich’s analysis is the increased lifespan of people who ride bikes. Regular exercise helps you live longer, which points to an unsettling fact. One of the single best things you can do for the planet is to limit your time here.

Car Boom can puts countries on the road to a smoggy future.

Cars consume 50 times more oxygen than cyclists per unit distance covered, producing carbon dioxide at a similar ratio. They also have a greater cooling problem, since they explode their fuel combined with air at 2000-2250 [degrees] C,[2] which is over one third of the surface temperature of the sun (6000 [degrees] C).[3] Cyclists operate at only 37 [degrees] C, and from the standpoint of physics are not heat engines but constant temperature energy converters more analogous to fuel cells.[4] But we, too, have to keep cool, and our main system of heat dispersal takes up no extra space and is functionally--if not always socially--most elegant. In short, we evaporate. A London surgeon visiting a patient at Claridge's was delicately reminded of this by the splendidly uniformed man on the hotel door, who said as he took his bicycle: "I'll just walk her up and down a bit until she stops sweating, sir" (J H Lees Ferguson, personal communication).

Certainly large groups of cyclists are blocking motor vehicle traffic. BAD!!

The WTO Gives Bicycles a Push

One of the myths about cars use is that auto dependency is simply an expression of the free market: in fact, automobile use is highly subsidized. As Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute points out, in order to move to sustainable transportation, market reforms are necessary to redress these subsidies.

A good example of this concerns bicycles: even though bicyclists pay their taxes to support road repairs just like car drivers do, they are generally considered second-class users on most north american city streets. And as affordable as they already are when compared to cars, bicycles have simply not been able to compete with cars in the public eye. This is spite of being the most energy-efficient form of transportation ever devised, and the leading "sustainable wonder of the world."

There are signs that this economic imbalance may be changing. Bicycles are now being recognized for their advantages by one the highest economic authorities on Earth: The World Trade Organization is opening discussions on classifying bicyles as an "environmental good" free from tariffs.

One guys says:
We own a car, and we drive it. They’re absolutely the quickest way to get most places. Even though there’s plenty of public transportation here in the Bay Area, there are still plenty of trips that are quicker by car. There are days when I’m tired or in a rush and would *love* to be driving to work rather than doing the walk-BART-walk thing, or biking. I could cut my daily commute from 30-40 minutes each way down to 15-20 minutes (but then I wouldn’t get to enjoy my podcasts, and would lose my only remaining lifeline to excercise).

In Africa, Burundi:
There is not a lot of traffic on the streets, and there are no traffic lights. There is accordingly little air pollution, which is a great relief. However, roads are in poor repair.

If you cycle to Beijing –you need lots of time and food! Cars are just convienent, fast, safe and mobility is much higher than bikes.

Cars are more efficient, cheaper, smaller and more environment friendly. Hybrid-cars are even better.

Wednesday 18 April 2007

Debate topic for DLNU students (26 April 2007)

Are cars better than bikes?

There are 2 teams; more teams can join. If you want to join send me your name and e-mail address and say if you want to debate PRO or CON.

e-mail address: abzee@email.com


DVD for next week: The sound of music

Tuesday 17 April 2007

some info to help with the debate....


Is there a scientific consensus about global warming? Is there a scientific consensus on global warming?
How accurate are warming predictions? Where are global temperatures headed?
Is global warming causing extreme weather? Will global warming cause sea levels to rise?
Could global warming be good for us?


PRO 1
There is a natural greenhouse effect keeps the planet 33°C warmer than it would be otherwise, allowing the earth to sustain life. Over the last 200 years human activities have resulted in emissions of greenhouse gases, (primarily carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels), which have altered the composition of the atmosphere and strengthened the greenhouse effect. As a result the earth’s temperature is rising, which changes the climate.
CON 1.1
The earth's atmosphere has actually cooled by 0.13 degrees Celsius since 1979 according to highly accurate satellite-based atmospheric temperature measurements. By contrast, computer models predict that the globe should have warmed by an easily detectable 0.4 degrees Celsius over the last 15 years. Temperature records reveal that predictive models are off by a factor of two when applied retroactively in projecting the change in global temperature for this century.

CON 1.2
Temperature records show that the Arctic has actually cooled by 0.88 degrees Celsius over the past fifty years.
CON 1.3
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he growth rate and concentration of many greenhouse gases fell well below expected levels. Some, such as methane and carbon monoxide, have leveled off or even declined. Others, such as CO(2), have shown a substantial reduction in the rate of increase; and the rate of concentration is increasing, but at far below expected levels.

PRO 1.4
According to scientists, the retreat of glaciers and the warming of the tundra permafrost is clear evidence of climatic change.
PRO 1.5
The nine hottest years on record have all occurred since 1980, despite the 2-3 year cooling effect of the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption in 1991. 1994 was the third or fourth hottest year on record.

CON 1.6
The earth’s temperature now, far from being abnormally high, is below the global average of the last 3000 years. In fact, during the past 3,000 years, there have been five extended periods when the Earth was distinctly warmer than today.
PRO 2
if human interference continues to alter the composition of the atmosphere, average surface temperatures could rise between 2 and 3 °C globally over the next 100 years.

PRO 3
SCIENTIST SAY that to avoid dangerous climate change over the next 100 years, the total amount of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels that can be released is around 225 billion tonnes of carbon. If no action is taken on deforestation (which also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere), the amount will be lower.
PRO 4
Reserves of oil, gas and coal identified as ‘economically recoverable’ currently stand at 1,053 billion tonnes. This would, if burnt, lead to a 5.0°C rise in temperature. SO THE SCIENTIST ARE SAYING WE CAN ONLY USE ABOUT 25% of what we could recover.

Is it true that the earth is warmer now then it has ever been before? Not hardly. Scientists know a lot about the historical climate record from analyzing fossils and deep ice layers. They know the earth’s climate is cyclical, going from ice-age to warming to ice age.

PRO 5
In most scientific circles the issue is no longer whether or not climate change is a potentially serious problem, but rather, how the problem will develop, what its effects will be, how these can be best detected, and what measures can be taken to reduce the damage. The media, at times, leaves the impression that scientists are still discussing whether or not the climate is really changing as a result of emissions of greenhouse gases. This is not the case. In actuality there is a broad agreement on this issue among scientists and experts, as represented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). No scientific material has ever been presented in scientific fora which challenges the main conclusions of the IPCC, in spite of the fact that the IPCC has an open process that invites critical views.
PRO 5
FOSSIL FUEL AND TRANSPORTATION INTEREST CONTRIBUTE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO POLITICIANS. THEY ALSO FUND A FEW SCIENTIST AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK TO KEEP LEGISLATION THAT MIGHT HURT THEIR BOTTOM LINE, MUCH LIKE THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY.

PRO 6
JUNE 28,1998, A coalition of nearly 60 scientists on Monday told Congress to get serious about the global warming threat, saying even as industries admit the earth is warming many lawmakers deny the evidence. Speaking at a Capitol Hill press conference, the scientists said they were shocked that some in Congress continue to ignore the scientific community and object to global efforts for cutting carbon gas emissions, which enhance warming. ``For too long a vocal minority denying climate change has had the ear of Congress,'' said Dr. Richard Gammon, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. The coalition, which was sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists environmental group, noted that ``even General Motors, British Petroleum, Dupont, Boeing and other industry powerhouses now acknowledge climate change.''

PRO 7 12-2-99
The giant arctic ice cap may be melting as a result of global warming, according to a new paper by an international team of researchers. An analysis using complex computer programs that mimic the climate system indicates only a 2 percent chance that arctic melting over the last 19 years is a result of natural climate changes, according to the paper appearing in Friday's edition of the journal Science. Also, there only is a 0.1 percent chance that the melting over the last 46 years is natural, according to the team led by Konstantin Vinnikov of the University of Maryland. In recent years scientists increasingly have become concerned about the possibility that chemicals released into the atmosphere by industry are causing the climate to warm, though some contend that the changes are part of natural variability. Vinnikov's team concentrated on satellite measurements of sea ice in the Arctic taken since 1978, showing an overall decline in ice area larger than the state of Texas.

PRO 8 12-15-99
This has been Planet Earth's fifth warmest year since consistent global records began in 1860, British meteorologists said on Thursday. Seven of the world's 10 warmest recorded years have been in the 1990s, the Meteorological Office reported. ``The rapid cooling of temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, the so-called La Nina, has contributed to 1999 being significantly cooler than 1998, the hottest year on record,'' said the Met Office's David Parker. ``This large natural year-on-year variability is exactly what we expect to see superimposed on a long-term warming due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions. ``Our forecast for 2000 shows a high probability of it being warmer than 1999 as the cold Pacific warms again naturally, but only a low probability of beating the 1998 record,'' he added. The Met Office said it believed the 1990s were the warmest decade of the millennium.

PRO 9 01-04-00
The 1990s marked Australia's warmest decade since reliable records began 90 years ago, and weather experts said on Wednesday they expected the warming trend to continue. Kevin Hennessy, a climate researcher at Canberra's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization said warming was expected to accelerate. ``What we've got here is that by the year 2030, average temperatures will be between 0.3 and 1.4 degrees (Celsius) higher,'' he told Reuters. ``It's a very large (forecast) range because there is uncertainty regarding future emissions of greenhouse gases and because of the sensitivity of climate models to changes in greenhouse gas loading.'' Senior British and American scientists said last month that in the face of global warming humanity should brace itself for ''rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns, ecological and agricultural dislocations, and the increased spread of human disease.''

Fact 10 01-13-00
Earth is warming and at a sharply faster rate in the last 20 years than in previous decades, according to a major study released Thursday by the National Academy of Science's National Research Council (NRC). The new evidence released by independent scientists for the NRC said Earth's surface temperature rose about 0.7 to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century. In the last 20 years, the earth's surface temperature was estimated to have risen by 0.5 to 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit. ``In the opinion of the panel, the warming trend in global-surface temperature observations during the past 20 years is undoubtedly real and is substantially greater than the average rate of warming during the 20th century'' as a whole, according to the report filed by an 11-member panel. Still, even with the new information, disparities exist between measurements of earth surface temperatures -- which are clearly rising -- and upper-air temperatures, which for some reason are not showing the same rise. ``Data collected by satellites and balloon-borne instruments since 1979 showed little warming of the low to mid-troposphere, the atmospheric layer extending to about 5 miles from Earth's surface,'' the NRC report said. Authors of the report, however, warned against making too much of the disparities, noting the contradictions do not damage the premise that Earth is increasingly warmer. ``The report itself does not call for energy-restricting international treaties, like the Kyoto Protocol. It calls for increased monitoring of everything from temperatures, to ozone levels, to water vapor, to aerosols in order to determine what is really going on with the climate,'' said Myron Ebell, global warming expert for the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

PRO 10.1
Environmental group Ozone Action said the report was ``the nail in the coffin of doubt'' about the reality of a warming trend. It said environmental signs of warming are clear, noting that Boston broke its record for consecutive days without snowfall, and a recent report that sea ice in Arctic water is shrinking by 14,000 square miles per year.
CON 10.2
Those who doubt the warming trend said the only thing rising over the past decade is the political spin on the issue, especially by the Clinton administration.

PRO 11
AUCKLAND, Feb 16,200 (AFP) -Global warming and the associated sea-level rise will threaten residents of Tuvalu, with tides forecast to be higher than most of the islands they live on, a climate expert confirmed. Homes, offices and the airport could expect to be flooded, Hilia Vavae of the Tuvalu Meteorological Office told AFP. Tuvalus main island and capital, Funafuti, will Saturday and Sunday afternoon receive spring tides of 3.2 metres (11 feet). No point of land in Tuvalu is more than 4.5 metres (15 feet) above mean sea level. "The low lying areas of Funafuti will be flooded," Vavae said. She said spring tides have been steadily getting higher, causing serious problems, and this month they will be their highest ever. On overcrowed Funafuti, home to most of the 11,000 population, the groundwater has already become undrinkable thanks to sea-water intrusion, and often century-old pits used for growing the root crop taro are being flooded by sea-water.

PRO 12 3-23-00
The oceans have warmed significantly over the past four decades, providing new evidence that the Earth may be undergoing long-term climate change, a study by government scientists says. The broad study of temperature data from the oceans shows average temperatures have increased from one-tenth to one-half degree, depending on depth since the 1950s, an amount described as surprising. The findings were reported by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

I also heard some interesting scientific debate as to whether ice core temperature readings can really be used as a reliable indicator of whether carbon dioxide is related to global climate changes. Don't expect to hear much about this, though, since the CO2 proponent, Dr. Daniel Schrag of Harvard, was less-than-articulate arguing the affirmative. As of the writing of this posting, I haven't found a single news source that quoted from today's hearing. I did see and converse with several reporters but so far have yet to read any coverage.

What I did find online, though, was an AP article which briefly mentioned the hearing but quoted no one other than California Democrat Barbara Boxer, the incoming EPW chair. It went out late today and could easily have quoted from any of the Republican members of the committee (or Wednesday's hearing itself) but did not.

In the committee room, it was striking to me just how inept that the global warming alarmists seem to be at making their arguments. While many scientists do indeed take the position that humans' carbon dioxide emissions do cause global warming, they and their political allies seemed quite poor at making their case.

Debate info

For my DLNU students:
DEBATE ROLES and RULES

Roles
Rules

Opening Statement Presenter:
Gathers the main arguments into an introductory statement. Does not give specific information; just says "this is true because of A and B and C."

1.________________________________________
Topic Presenters:
Present the main arguments for the team. Each presenter give specific details that prove A and B and C.
(2 or 3)

1.________________________________________
2.________________________________________
3.________________________________________

Rebuttal Presenters:
Answer the arguments of the other team. These presenters must take notes as the other team is presenting their arguments and respond to every argument, using specific information to disprove them.
(1 or 2)

1.________________________________________
2.________________________________________

Closing Statement Presenter:
Presents the closing arguments for the team. Repeats the main idea for this and this and this reasons.

1.________________________________________



Debate Rules
No put downs.
You must raise your hand if it's not your time to speak.
Teams lose 1 point for each interruption.
Teams lose 1 point for whispering while another speaker is talking.

TIMES
Opening statements for both sides = 3 minutes each
Arguments for both sides = 3 minutes each
Rebuttal conference = 1 minute
Rebuttals = 2 minutes each
Closing statements for both sides = 3 minutes each

Saturday 17 March 2007

Don't try [this] progressive hairstyle

 
(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-03-16 09:15


A young man in Shanghai with braided hair was asked to leave a men's toilet on Monday, having been mistaken for a woman.

The man, Li Yang, works for a fashion magazine. To prepare himself for a group date party to be hosted by the magazine, Li visited a hair salon on Monday and asked for a stylish haircut. Half an hour later, Li wore bangs on his forehead and braids down his back. The stylist assured him the hairstyle was absolutely fashionable. Using a toilet on his way to the party, two men entered the toilet, saw him and left. Seconds later, they appeared again and said to Li: "Miss, you've got the wrong toilet." Li left, embarrassed.

(Xinwen Evening News)

Thursday 15 March 2007

Friday 9 March 2007

once again techn difficulties...can't post anything

Chinese universities...

Chinese universities urged to develop students' practical and innovative capacities


Chinese colleges and universities should reduce the proportion of required courses on the curriculum so as to give the students more freedom of choice, according to a circular issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The newly released circular said that boosting the proportion of optional courses will give students opportunities to develop their practical and innovative capabilities.

It also ordered institutions to give students the opportunity to carry out social investigations, take internships, and said colleges should encourage students to innovate.

The universities should also encourage students to take courses in other schools by establishing a cross-credit system, the circular said.

About 1.24 million graduating Chinese college students graduated without jobs in 2006, and the number is likely to be higher this year.

A survey showed that 52 percent of graduates considered a lack of broad life experience the biggest obstacle in finding work.

Employers often complain that what graduate job-seekers have learnt in school does not match their job requirements.

Source: Xinhua

Hermit, 72, comes out after 40 years in wild

(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-03-09 09:21


A man emerged from his mountain home in Taiwan after 40 years of living as a hermit.

A farmer found the man, surnamed Peng, now 72, who had lived alone, surviving by eating herbs and drinking spring water. He lived in a room built of bamboo and wood. A stove and knife were the only facilities he owned.

Peng lost a lawsuit in 1967 and, in his rage, ran into the wild, vowing never to return to the city. After the farmer found him, Peng, for the first time in his life, had a chance to taste instant noodles.

(China Times News)

Saturday 3 March 2007

From Beauty to......

Former Chinese actress and business celebrity and billionaire Chen Xiaoxu has taken the tonsure at a Buddhist temple in Changchun, capital of Jilin province in northeast China. Chen Xiaoxu played the role of Lin Daiyu, the heroine in the classical novel "The Dream of Red Mansion" (a TV soap opera adapted from the novel).


Friday 2 March 2007

International Marathon in Xiamen



My first and last marathon in China. Tooooo hot and no water stations.

Thursday 1 March 2007

Mirage


(DALIANNEWS) - Picture taken at the Binhai Rd. of Dalian, February 28, shows the distant ships and shadows of mountains covered by cloud and mist, which
looks like the mirage of sea scenery. Therecent warm and damp temperature caused the foggy natural sight.

Tuesday 27 February 2007

China's Stocks Have Biggest Tumble in 10 Years

2007-02-27 15:45:33 Bloomberg

China's stocks tumbled the most in 10 years as some investors judged record gains in key indexes as excessive. Citic Securities Co., the nation's biggest publicly traded brokerage, led declines.
"The market's very sensitive as it's been trading at record levels and some stocks are considered overvalued,'' said Fan Dizhao, who helps manage about $1.8 billion with Guotai Asset Management Co. in Shanghai. "Investors are nervous about recent rapid gains and aren't convinced further share-price increases can be sustained."
China Minsheng Banking Corp. led declines by lenders as the central bank raised the reserve ratio this week for the fifth time in eight months, reducing funds available to commercial banks for lending.
The Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 Index, which tracks yuan- denominated A shares listed on China's two exchanges, plunged 250.18 points, or 9.2 percent, to 2457.49 at the close. The measure, which jumped 13 percent in the past six sessions, closed at a record 2707.68 yesterday.
The Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks the bigger of China's stock exchanges, plunged 8.8 percent to 2771.79. Today's tumble was the biggest since Feb. 18, 1997. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which covers the smaller one, dropped 8.5 percent to 709.81. The measure has surged 29 percent this year.
Today's rout wiped out $107.8 billion from a stock market that doubled in the past year. The benchmark has gained or fallen at least 3 percent on 10 different days this year.
'Healthy Correction'
Stocks surged last year after a government plan to make more than $200 billion of state-owned stock tradable revived investor demand and paved the way for sales by some of the nation's biggest companies. The economy, which in 2005 overtook the U.K. as the world's fourth biggest, averaged annual growth of 9.6 percent in the past five years.
"China has gone up so much,'' said Winson Fong, who manages $2 billion as chief investment officer at SG Asset Management in Singapore. "It's not a bad thing to have a healthy correction as it provides an opportunity to correct over-valuations and allow people who have missed out to start buying.''


Yep, its Ok but what if the money is yours!

Monday 26 February 2007

Huh...population of 1.3 b and 2b travel..????

2007 Two billion people to travel during Spring Festival(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-12-27 14:54
A total of 2.17 billion passengers will travel during the Spring Festival season in 2007, up 4.9 percent from last year's holiday season.
The National Development and Reform Commission on Tuesday said a record 155 million passengers will travel by train, up 4.3 percent, during the 40-day travel peak that will begin on February 3 and end on March 14.
Meanwhile, 1.97 billion will travel by road, up five percent, 28.41 million will travel by water, up two percent, and 19.3 million will travel by air, up 9.4 percent.



China's population reaches 1.307 bln(2006/03/17)

www.chinaview.cn 2006-03-16
BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- China's population had risen to 1.306 billion by November 1, 2005, up 3.2 percent, from the figure on November 1, 2000 when the Fifth National Population Census was conducted, the National Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday.

can somebody explain this to me.....( I am an engineer with an MBA and 3rd year math)

Sunday 25 February 2007

Old Town Dali

The Dutch means "for the most beautiful cuts in Dali you must go to Harry and it is not expensive" ----but HARRY doesn't speak DUTCH maybe a little English; I know I asked him!

Saturday 24 February 2007

Thursday 22 February 2007

Wednesday 21 February 2007

Old town DALI

My favorite town in China

Friday 16 February 2007

Chongwu (south of FuZhou)


Stone characters tell the story of ancient tales and warriors!!

Summer Palace

I am back, just moved [yet again] I move every year/two years..... This pictue was taken at the summer palace, 2004

Thursday 8 February 2007

Changchun, Last Emperor's Palace

The last Emperor was the "pupper ruler" but he was a lonely man and he really wanted to swim but couldn't because the emperor couldn't "expose" himself but doning off his clothes for a swim suit. So, although he had a swimming pool, he couldn't use it. PITY

Monday 5 February 2007

Sunday 4 February 2007

Saturday 3 February 2007

18-brooks at FuZhou

My favourite spot in China

Friday 2 February 2007

Saturday 6 January 2007

Friday 5 January 2007

Beijing Hudong


A Hudong is an old style Chinese neighbourhood. This one in Beijing is sort of a "tourist trap"

Thursday 4 January 2007

Maoxian

In chinese adventure is maoxian...so here the adventure will start!