People cannot continue along the present path where water resources management is characterized by policies that are unsustainable from any perspective - economic, social or environmental.
Instead a new approach to water resources management must be adopted to reduce poverty and conserve the environment - all within the framework of sustainable development. This:
Integrally links land-use management with sustainable water management.
Recognizes freshwater, coastal and marine environments as a management continuum, with significant implications for strategy, planning, management and investment actions.
Recognizes water as an economic good and promotes cost-effective interventions.
Supports innovative and participatory approaches.
Focuses on actions that improve the lives of people and the quality of their environment.
Adopting this approach will make the management of river basins, coastal zones and the marine environment complementary. These systems must be viewed as intimately interlinked and a much broader range of 'downstream effects' from human interventions and development activities must be recognized. Concerns about water quantity and quality - historically treated as separate - must now be seen as a global issue that requires a unified management approach.
What can you personally do to help saving water resources?
Sometimes small things done by many people can improve the situation.
For a start you can use those tips in your everyday home activities:
Remember to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth - a running tap wastes over 6 liters per minute.
A dripping tap wastes at least 5,500 liters of water a year. That's enough water wasted to fill a paddling pool every week for the whole summer.
Hand-washing dishes typically uses about 63 liters per session. If those dishes are rinsed off under a running tap the total water used averages 150 liters-in comparison, a modern dishwasher can use as little as 15 liters of water per cycle.
A bath typically uses around 80 liters, while a short shower can use as little as a third of that amount.
Try taking shorter showers to reduce the amount of water you use.
Questions
Do you think that it’s possible to change the entire worldwide water policy to guarantee peaceful future to humanity?
How do you use water at home? Do you care about saving it or you just use it as it was unlimited and always will be?
As demand for water hits the limits of finite supply, potential conflicts are brewing between nations that share transboundary freshwater reserves. More than 50 countries on five continents might soon be caught up in water disputes unless they move quickly to establish agreements on how to share reservoirs, rivers, and underground water aquifers.
Corporate giants force developing countries to privatize their water supply for profit. Wall Street investors target desalination and mass bulk water export schemes. Corrupt governments use water for economic and political gain. Military control of water emerges and a new geo-political map and power structure forms, setting the stage for world water wars.
All those facts can develop serious conflicts because of water. The scenario in which water will be privatized by giant companies and people would have to pay for it isn’t so impossible. In Bolivia in 2003 the private company had an arrangement with government and had ownership of water. People had to pay for water or go thirsty. Since they couldn't pay, they had no alternative but to fight. A popular rebellion and an organization formed, from a group of people ranging from farmers to street vendors and started a resistance. The government sent out the military and police to guarantee the judicial security and profits of the company. More than a hundred people suffered from bullet wounds. After that the Bolivian government gave in and kicked that company out of the country.
Another example is The Coca-Cola Company which gained access to the main water supply in one of the third world countries. They were bottling water and selling it along with coca-cola. There wouldn't by anything suspicious about that if the water wasn't almost twice more expensive than coca-cola.
You can find more information in the very interesting movie Blue Gold – World Water Wars, which I personally recommend.
Questions
Do you think that water can become the new oil and be a cause of military conflicts?
Can you imagine that water is a limited and privatized resource and you have to pay for it?
In my presentation I would like to raise an issue that might have direct influence on your lives. I hope that you will find it interesting, at least in some part. The topic I've chosen is the water supply crisis. There's no life without water and world's water supply is shrinking.
Some organizations claim that this problem doesn't exist. Maybe it's true that it can't be observed all over the world, but in the nearest future it can affect many countries. Human demand for water is raising everyday and world's water resources are finite. Earth's supply of fresh water is stored in aquifers, surface waters and the atmosphere. Although there is a lot of water in the oceans, we must remember that it's saline water and must be converted to drinking water. The amount of energy needed for conversion is prohibitive today. In a result a very small fraction of the world's water supply derives from desalination.
What causes water supply crisis?
The reasons are complex but I'll try to briefly outline some of them:
The world's population tripled in the 20th century, the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold. Within the next fifty years, the world population will increase by another 40 to 50 %. This population growth - coupled with industrialization and urbanization - will result in an increasing demand for water and will have serious consequences on the environment.
Governments and companies responsible for the management and allocation of water are prone to conscious or unconscious bias towards the rich and powerful. Lack of infrastructure often means no safe water or adequate sanitation services are provided for poor rural and urban communities.
Consumption is rising due to economic development and growing standards of living. From 1900-1995 global consumption of water rose six-fold.
Millions of people have no choice but to drink water that could kill them. Globally water related diseases are the single largest cause of sickness and death.
The natural environment, which is the home and source of water, is often destroyed by industrial pollution and degradation. Deforestation and soil erosion are major causes of dwindling water supplies.
In addition to the effects of poor sanitation water is also polluted by industry and agriculture. The results of this combined pollution cause disease on a huge scale. The poor are usually the first to suffer from pollution as they are often forced to use water from downstream sources and do not have the access to adequate sanitation that the rich enjoy. Contaminated water spreads bacteria and parasites, for example causing diarrhea, and carries water-based hosts, such as guinea worms.
Climate change is increasing the number of natural disasters such as floods and droughts, both of which have a negative impact on water resources.
Globally there is a huge shortfall in finance and investment in the water sector, both for investment in new operations and for maintenance of existing infrastructures. This lack of investment and the absence of effective planning and management of scarce water resources are often the root causes of water shortages and inadequate sanitation. Governments lack the will, or the capacity, to develop and integrate sustainable water management policies.
Groundwater resources are heavily over-used. People pump out more water than is returned in the natural cycle.
The Aral Sea is one of the most drastic examples of how water usage can completely change the landscape and ecosystem. The picture below shows the Aral Sea has lost more than 1/2 of it's area because the water was diverted for irrigation purposes.
Facts
2 out of 3 people will be living with water shortages by 2025
Over 2.4 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation
At the start of the 21st century unclean water is the world's second biggest cause of death for children
3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease
43% of water-related deaths are due to diarrhea
84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14
98% of water-related deaths occur in the developing world
884 million people lack access to safe water supplies, approximately one in eight people
An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the typical person living in a developing country slum uses in a whole day
Questions
Are you aware about the water crisis? Do you think it's a real problem?
Do you think it's worth to take some action to improve the situation?
The key to successful fish keeping is routine and regular maintenance.
Once established, your aquarium will require a minimum of time and effort to keep it looking attractive.
We can put the maintenance activities into three groups – things that we need to do every day, every week, and every 2-3 weeks.
On a daily basis w need to: - check water temperature - check fish numbers and behavior - remove debris such as dead leaves - check if all the equipment (filters, heaters etc.) are working - feed fish
On a weekly basis: - if necessary, partial water change - prune plants
Every 2-3 weeks: - partial water change (approx. 20-30%) - clean filters - clean tank - remove algae from front of glass - check if plants need thinning
When doing every thing right you should never have to do a full water change in your tank. Regular partial water changes are far more beneficial in ensuring that both fish and plants remain healthy. By changing all the water you kill the good bacteria that consume ammonia and nitrites.
The water you use for refills should be treated with dechlorinator or at least left in a bucket for a day.
Always remember to turn all the electrical equipment before putting your hands into the water. You would not to want to be electro shocked incase of some equipment failure.
Also remember to clean the filter sponges in old aquarium water only, and not in tap water as chlorine would destroy the beneficial bacteria in them.
In this part I would like to tell you how to setup a freshwater fish tank.
Equipment
Before setting up a tank we need to buy some basic equipment. The minimum we need is: a tank – buy the biggest tank you have place for a filter – there are many different types of filters. When buying you should choose a one that can pump and appropriate number of liters per hour a heater – it keeps a constant temperature of the water. The bigger your tank the stronger heater you need a thermometer – to control the water temperature lights – fish and plants will need 12 to 14 hours of light. Depending on the type of fish and plants you will need different amount of light. You can assume that about 1W of fluorescent lamp per liter of water is enough.
Setting it all up
When you have all the needed equipment it’s time to start setting it all up.
The first thing you need to think about is where you want your tank to be located. Make sure that the spot you have chosen is away from direct sunlight otherwise you will have a major problem with algae. Before placing the tank on the stand level it up.
When the tank is on the stand you can start filling it up. The first thing we want to put in is the gravel on the bottom of the tank. Before putting in the gravel we need clean it. Put the gravel in a bucket, fill it with water and rinse it to remove any dust. Do it until the water becomes clean. Now your gravel is dirt free.
If you bought a background scene you should tape it on to the tank.
Now it’s time to install the equipment that goes inside the tank. Install the water filter and the heater following the producer manual.
Stand back have a good look of your tank and try to visualize how you would like it too look. When you have an idea start putting in all the decorations.
It’s time to start adding some water. Fill the tank to half height with water. Now it’s time to plant your plants. After that fill the tank carefully to the top. While doing it be careful not to damage the plants.
The last thing you need to do is mount the light over the tank and plug all the equipment in.
Never put fish in a fresh tank. Fish must only be added when your filters have had time to mature, this would be at least two to three weeks.
I can tell you from my experience that the bigger the tank and the more stuff you put in it, the more time you spend on setting it up. Approximately it can take from couple of hours to a day. It’s a good idea to do it on a weekend. Start Saturday morning and even if you don’t manage to finish it in a before the evening you always have the Sunday.
If you have some questions I will be happy to answer them.
Maybe you have dome it before and know some tips&tricks. If so please share with us.
Today I would like to write about one of my old hobbies – Fishkeeping.
Fishkeeping is a hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium (fish tank) or garden pond.
In my article I will be focusing only on keeping fish in a tank.
Types of fishkeeping
There are two main categories of fishkeeping: freshwater and saltwater.
Freshwater fishkeeping
Fish that live in inland water bodies, rivers, streams and lakes are freshwater fish. Freshwater fishkeeping is the most popular branch of this hobby. We can distinguish two most popular types of freshwater tanks: a community tank and a biotope tank. A community tank is a tank containing a variety of peaceful species. A Biotope tank is a tank that tries to simulate a particular geographic location by combining fish and decoration specific for that location.
Saltwater fishkeeping
Fish that live in openwater in the sea are saltwater fish. Saltwater fishkeeping is the most difficult to maintain and most expensive branch of this hobby. It is best to have some major experience in freshwater fishkeeping before starting a saltwater tank.
Dutch Aquarium
We can distinguish another group of fishkeepers that actually don’t keep fish in their tanks – they focus on aquarist plants. Such “plant only” tanks are also known as the 'Dutch Aquarium'.
What should I choose ?
If I got you interested in this hobby you might be asking yourself this question.
The answer is, if you’re a beginner, definitely go freshwater. However if you insist on going saltwater I recommend to start with a freshwater tank, gain some experience and when you feel enough confident and have the money go saltwater.
If you’re not convinced yet I recommend a trip to the Warsaw ZOO so you can see it with your own eyes. They have a large number of beautiful freshwater and saltwater tanks.
If any of you have a fish tank, please share and write something about it.
Without a doubt, one of the most remarkable festivals in the world: Kanamara Matsuri - which means Festival of the Steel Phallus sometimes refereed as “the Penis Festival” for obvious reasons ;)
It's an annual Shinto fertility held in Kawasaki celebrated on the first Sunday of Spring.
As you can see, the main theme of the event is penis, reflected in all kinds of forms: illustrations, candy, decorations.
It takes place around phallic shrine (or penis-venerating shrine). Some say, it was build based on a local legend. Legend says that a demon hid inside a girl, forcing her to castrate two men on their wedding nights. Then a blacksmith made an iron phallus that was used to break the demon's teeth. It's also said that divine protects business prosperity, easy delivery, marriage, and married couple harmony.
Nowadays, this festival become a tourist attraction. It helps to raise money for HIV/AIDS research.
My two previous blogs are about nice aspects of Arabic paradise – Dubai. Today I would like to describe much more serious and not so pink situation that have reached also this part of the world – the global economic crisis. The current global crisis has hit the rapid development in Dubai. In recent years, the Gulf state became a magnet for property investors attracted by the prospect of substantial returns, and has been marketed as a luxury shopping, holiday and high-profile sporting events destination. The position of Dubai has been set as an international finance and trading center within today’s global economy. Now the boom appears to be slowing down.
The Biggest developers have started firing staff and paring projects. Government-owned developer Nakheel, one of Dubai’s largest employers, reduces its workforce by 500 people. Dubai’s banks like Emirates NBD ENBD.DU have blocked consumer credit to employees of companies at risk, and at least one major mortgage company has stopped lending altogether. Many investors fear that individuals and corporations going to have troubles paying back Dubai's non-bank foreign currency debts estimated at just under $70 billion.
Shares in the region have lost around $1 trillion since the beginning of the year as investors fled. At the end of April the UAE finance ministry announced its plan of 70 billion dirhams ($19 billion) injection into the banking system, and has already been looking at doing more to keep interbank liquidity flowing.
Huge problem of UAE’s downturn is connected with cheep workforce - unskilled construction workers, mostly from South Asia (from India and Pakistan), who have flooded regions of the Gulf during the building boom for the last few years. High rises and tourist resorts were built by legions of those foreign workers. Dubai became an international magnet, reinventing itself as a financial capital and tourist mecca in the Persian Gulf. Then the global crisis reached this outpost and boom turned into bust. More than half of the construction projects in the United Arab Emirates, worth $582 billion, have been put on hold. Hopefully some projects are still going ahead, thanks, in part, to the $10 billion bailout from the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi. But still most of income labors are unemployed and forced to pack and return to their origin countries or stuck here and wait for better economic situation.
Worker advocacy groups - including the United Nations International Labor Organization - have increased pressure for wider protection covering the hundreds of thousands foreign workers faced with unemployment nowadays. The demands include ending the illegal-but-common practice of companies holding workers' passports, effectively blocking their chances of looking for other jobs under the country's sponsorship system.
Lots of editors and experts have optimistic approach and say that the region is starting to react to the economic downturn. Dubai has moved to stabilize its economy with its $20 billion sovereign bond program. For the short term, it should be sufficient to meet the city's refinancing needs this year and lend stability to the economy. Government is counting that the oil prices will return, situation on the real-estate market will correct and there will be a very quick rebound in Dubai. On the other hand there are also economists that have not so optimistic view about economic future in Dubai. Behind there is shown a movie with discussion about future of Dubai in light of the ongoing financial crisis.
Although the Dubai real-estate and development market suffer from the financial crisis, and unemployment is rising, the economy is still growing. Dubai will be probably among the first countries to benefit when the worldwide recession is finally over. Dubai is beginning to recover from the impact of the global economic crisis as international financial markets show signs of thawing and federal financial support begins to take effect. The recovery will be fuelled by the return to the market of liquidity and the availability of capital for real estate investments. UAE government says that 2009 is going to show a continued state of challenge and reducing rates in the market. In 2010 they see some traction formed with a bit of stability, and in 2011 they see as a period of recovery.
All we can do is to observe what will happen in global economy and if prognostics are suitable to the real situation in Dubai – the pearl of the Persian Gulf…
When somebody thinks about Japan usually 3 things come to his mind: Anime, Crazy tv game shows and Japanese girls ;)
I'm not really Anime fan (well I watched Akira many many years ago but that's it) , so i'll just show some pictures of anime and anime ispired games. I'm not so sure what are these games about but the cover seems cute ;) this one even runs on vista!
If you are really anime fan, you probably should have one of this.
Japan isn't only about Anime, it's also about video games. Almost everyone had or had contact with Pegasus (it's cheap Chinese version of Japanese NES -8-bit video game console by Nintendo). So it's obvious that Japanese likes video games, actually in Japan best selling console is Nintendo Wii if you're owner of PS3 or XBOX you probably shouldn't go to Japan.;p that's why :P (how Japanese media portray Wii and PS3 buyers )
Japanese TV game shows is topic for whole post. You're probably familiar with polish “Hole in the Whole”, so here's Japanese version.
There's also more and more different game shows, here are some of my favorite:
Japan, everyone knows something about this country, like the fact that it's far far away, even further than US&A or CHINA and they have strange language and even more strange letters. They also smile all the time.
I decided to write about something you surely didn't know, and probably wouldn't even imagine theres something like this. So, let's start my first post with dogs and cats.
Japan love dogs, that's for sure! They are willing to spend large amounts of money on them. The number of dogs in Japan has doubled to more than 13 million in the past decade – actually there are fewer children under 12 then dogs in Japan.
Ok, but as you probably know, Japanese people are usually very busy, and don't have enough time for dogs. In such case, they could rent dog in “pet rental” (i'm not saying if it's good or bad). It's probably hard to bealive, but renting animals (from an hour to several days) became very popular. The number of companies renting pets in Tokyo, increased from 17 in 2000 to about 135 at present. Another thing that you can do for your dog is buy him some clothes. It's surely more common in Japan than in Warsaw;)
There was even fashion show with dogs in Tokyo at the weekend during the New Year Dog Party. Kumi Shiraishi, the producer of the event said: “As our population is declining, fewer women are having babies, more people are working and many people feel lonely. As a result, a pet dog is the perfect companion. Sooner or later, the number of pet dogs will be higher than the number of children. That is how much Japan loves its dogs."
Today I wolud like to write more about one of the man-made wonders of the world - World Island of Dubai...
All Islands of the world were arranged to create our real word, including all continents. The Word Island of Dubai was created by the same company that built three islands in a shape of palm. New investment has added incredible value to Dubai economy and it contains some of most celebrated real estate in the word, not only prime places for residents, business ventures but also tourists areas.
The World consist about 300 smaller private artificial islands divided into four categories - private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands. Each island range from 250,000 to 900,000 square feet in size, with 50 to 100 meters of water between each island. The development cover an area of 9 kilometers in length and 6 kilometers in width, surrounded by an oval shaped breakwater. The only means of transportation between the islands is by marine transport or private helicopters.
Construction has begun on the 1.8 billion dollar project. It is located 4 kilometers off the shore of Jumeirah, close to the The Palm Jumeirah, between Burj Al Arab hotel and Port Rashid of Dubai. Each island has been sold to selected private developers and are pricing beginning at Dhs. 25 million (6.85 million dollar).
The Word Islands arouse interest among celebrities. On May 2007 Tommy Lee announced that he was buying the Greece Island for Pamela Anderson, his ex-wife and the mother of their two children. Lee said he chose the island because of his own Greek heritage, and he hopes Pam, the kids and he can spend time there together.The Arctic was given to Schumacher by Dubai’s crown prince as a retirement present, and has a spectacular home, beautiful beach and manicured garden. Not bad for the land of snow and ice!
So if you are interested to have famous neighborhood, you should think about moving to one of the Word Island. Maybe Poland area is still free ;)
Some people like to escape from problems and real life into hobbits world, some of them prefer to relax playing in miniature wars and preparing small plastics soldiers. For me – the best way to spend free time is traveling and discovering amazing places around the world, not only those natural ones but also created by human being. Are you tired of school, learning and all your problems? That you have to wake up so early and do a lot of things that you really hate?!!! Enough!!! If you have some time and money – let’s go on vacation!!!! What do you think about Dubai? Below I submit a couple of info, I guess very helpful, that you have to know about before you go there ;)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists of seven Emirates and Dubai is the most popular destination of them. It is situated on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. Dubai is the second largest Emirate after Abu Dhabi and is usually recognized as the ‘Pearl of the Persian Gulf’.
Dubai’s population is estimated at 1.5 million, a huge difference from 183,200 in 1975!!!! Dubai is one of the most multicultural cities in the world with the expatriate community covering most of the population, with less than 10% of the total being national Emiratis.
This was Dubai in 1990, before the building boom began:
The same street in 1993:
... in 2003:
... and in 2007:
Culture in Dubai is rooted in Islamic traditions that form UAE national's lifestyles. It is highly important that when tourists visit Dubai they must respect and behave suitably, as the minority group of Emiratis are very protective over their culture and traditions.
Dubai is a landmark for innovation; some might even compare it to the computer game Sim-city where expansion has no limit. The city boasts remarkable skyscrapers, such as the world’s current tallest building, the Burj Dubai (till now 800 meters), and is also in the process of developing one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the world – The Pad. This is based on the idea of an iPod; this residential tower is set to be embedded with the latest gadgets that will have the power to change interior design and window views to almost anything imaginable. Other architectural attractions are artificial palm islands (the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira). On this three islands there will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas. They are being constructed for commercial and residential infrastructure use. One of the most incredible projects in Dubai is Dubai Words Islands. From the air this archipelago looks like a replica of the real thing on a much smaller scale of course!!!
Sheikh Mohammed is the ruler of Dubai. It is said that he is primarily responsible for making Dubai what it is today - a modern high flying city thriving from commercial investments. Sheikh Mohammed’s most significant business proposal was the introduction of Dubai’s world class airline, the Emirates. Dubai is famously known as the entertainment capital of the Middle East which attracts many party lovers from all over the world, especially those who are wealthy enough to splash out on the most expensive bars and clubs in the city. With Dubai promoting such an image, it still forbids the nationals that practice Islam to indulge in any of the entertaining services offered. In that respect these services are often located in the more touristy areas rather than in residential parts. Next blogs I am going to write more about the most famous and incredible places in Dubai. I will recommend the best tourist attractions and activities that you have to check when U will have a chance to visit this awsom city ;)
Faithful as the brain cells Research from Karolinska Institute in Sweden haves shown some significant results: • the cells of the liver take an approximate of two years to be totally replaced by newer ones • cells in the main body of your gut are about 15.9 years old but cells covering the inside of the stomach live only a few days • the outer layer of skin is renewed every other week • the skeleton is thought to be completely renewed once every ten years or so • cells from your rib muscles last an average of 15.1 years • red blood cells last about 120 days, on average • liver regenerates completely every 300 to 500 days • entire skeleton is replaced about once every 10 years
What influences the rate of your cells regeneration? It depends on the cell's function in your body and at least partly on how hard it must work. Skin, for instance gets renewed so often because it’s constantly being assaulted by outside elements. But what about the cells that stay with us for a lifetime? Research have shown that the nerve cells of the brain remain the same throughout a person's life. When looking into the brain cells, all of the samples taken from the visual cortex, the region responsible for processing sight, were as old as the subjects themselves, supporting the idea that these cells do not regenerate. Similar results for cerebellum, whose role is coordinating body movements. The reason these cells live so long is probably that they need to be wired in a very stable way. However, They found that new neurons are created in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory. So it seems that even certain areas of your brain are capable of regenerating.
The cells in your body(other than brain cells) that are thought to stay with you for a lifetime (and do not regenerate) are, in fact, quite limited and include: • the cells of your eyes inner lens • possibly the muscle cells of your heart
Aging theory Why then, if the body remains so eminently capable of renewing its tissues, doesn't the regeneration continue forever? Some scientists believe this is explained by the accumulation of mutations in the DNA, which gradually degrades its information. Another theory blames mitochondrial DNA, which lack the repair mechanisms available for the chromosomes, whilst a third theory postulates that stem cells, which are the source of new cells in each tissue, eventually grow feeble with age.
Q: What do you think about aging? Do you think that it should be treated like a disease? Do you think that people should live forever?
The benefit of the nuclear tests prior years Until now, defining the life span of specific human cell populations was limited by an inability to mark the exact time when cells were born in a way that can be detected over many years. However, a team of Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, lead by Jonas Frisén, has announced that cells can be dated by applying carbon-14 techniques to DNA, a method commonly used in archaeology and palaeontology to pinpoint the age of fossils.
The new dating approach relies on a peak in the atmospheric levels of C14 as a result of aboveground nuclear arms testing during the Cold War. C14 dating looks at the ratio of radioactive carbon, naturally present at low levels in the atmosphere and food, to normal carbon within an organism. While a creature lives, eats and breathes, its ratio of radioactive to normal carbon will equal the ratio in its environment. But when it dies, this ratio will fall, as the carbon-14 decays. Until now, the main obstacle to applying this technique was that radioactive carbon decays slowly, such that a given amount of carbon-14 halves every 6,000 years. Detecting the subtle change in the ratio of normal to naturally occurring radioactive carbon over just a few years proved too difficult. But Dr Frisén maintains that it can be done if one takes advantage of the signal left by nuclear testing, which vastly increased the levels of carbon-14 in the atmosphere during the Cold War. According to Dr Frisén, by the time aboveground nuclear testing ended in 1963, the levels of atmospheric C14 had doubled beyond natural background levels. Since the halt, this has halved every 11 years. By taking this into account, one can see detectable changes in levels of C14 in modern DNA.
Most molecules of the cell will turn over all the time. But DNA is a material that does not exchange carbon after cell division, so it serves as a time capsule for carbon,' he says. All the C14 in a cell's DNA is acquired on the cell's birth date, the day its parent cell divided. By measuring C14 levels in their DNA, it would be possible to pinpoint individual cells' birth dates.
Q: Do you think that unethical experiments are worth their benefits? For example, nuclear testing or human embryo experiments.
Alcohol Abuse What are drinking problems? How serious is alcohol abuse among young people? What is the trend in drunk driving? What help is available for alcoholism?
What Is Alcohol Abuse To some college students, heavy drinking that leads to vomiting is not alcohol abuse but simply having a good time and being "one of the gang." To many whose religion requires abstinence, simply tasting an alcohol beverage is not only alcohol abuse but a sin. To many activists, a married couple quietly enjoying a drink with their dinner is guilty of abusing alcohol if they happen to be twenty years of age. To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an accident is alcohol related (and implicitly caused by alcohol abuse) if a driver who has consumed a drink is sitting at a red light and rear-ended by an inattentive teetotaler. Is alcoholism a disease? Yes, alcoholism is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle. Can alcoholism be cured?
No, alcoholism cannot be cured at this time. Even if an alcoholic hasn't been drinking for a long time, he or she can still suffer a relapse. Not drinking is the safest course for most people with alcoholism.
Do you have to be an alcoholic to experience problems? No. Alcoholism is only one type of an alcohol problem. Alcohol abuse can be just as harmful. A person can abuse alcohol without actually being an alcoholic—that is, he or she may drink too much and too often but still not be dependent on alcohol. Some of the problems linked to alcohol abuse include not being able to meet work, school, or family responsibilities; drunk-driving arrests and car crashes; and drinking-related medical conditions. Under some circumstances, even social or moderate drinking is dangerous—for example, when driving, during pregnancy, or when taking certain medications.
Causes of alcohol abuse Why can one person drink responsibly, while another drinks to the point of losing their health, their family and their job? There is no one simple reason. Alcohol abuse and addiction is due to many factors. What’s more, since drinking is so common in our society, problem drinking can be hard to identify. Do you drink to share enjoyment or share a connection with others? If drinking is the only way you feel comfortable connecting to others, or you drink to mask depression, grief, anxiety or loneliness, you are at risk for alcohol abuse. Some other risk factors include: • Family history of alcoholism. While the interplay between genetics and environment is not entirely clear, if you have a family history of addiction, you are at higher risk for abusing alcohol. • History of mental illness.Alcohol abuse can worsen mental illness or even create new symptoms. See dual diagnosis for more information on mental illness and alcohol abuse. • Peer pressure. If people around you drink heavily, it’s hard to resist. If you are a teenager, you might feel you won’t be accepted. If drinking is common practice for work celebrations or entertaining clients, you might feel pressure to conform. • Stressful situations or a big life change. If you have a major change or a stressful situation in your life, without other coping skills, you might turn to alcohol to help you get through.
Alcohol abusers, or problem drinkers, are people who drink too much on a regular basis. The alcohol use is self-destructive or can present a danger to others, but they still demonstrate some ability to set limits and establish some measure of control over their drinking. While some people are able to maintain this pattern for a long amount of time, alcohol abusers are at risk for progressing to alcoholism. This might happen in response to a large stressful event, such as retirement or losing a job. Or it might gradually progress as tolerance to alcohol increases. When alcohol abuse progresses to alcoholism, also called alcohol addiction or alcohol dependence, alcohol becomes essential to function. Alcoholic symptoms include a physical dependence on alcohol, and inability to stop despite severe physical and psychological consequences. Some alcoholics can hold down a job or appear to be functioning on the surface, but the drinking inevitably leads to impaired job performance and troubled relationships. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides a screening questionnaire for assessing the differences between alcohol abuse and alcoholic dependence. Remember, though, the bottom line is how alcohol affects you. If it is affecting your relationships, job, or health, yet you can’t seem to stop yourself, than the problem is serious.
QUESTIONS :
1) What are Mental signs of alcohol abuse and alcoholism? 2) What are the effects of an alcoholism? 3) Do you think that you can be an alcoholic or can you see signs of it? 4) Do you think that people shouldn’t be able to buy an alcohol before 21?
Introduction Remember your childhood? Almost nothing has been in you from those times. By 35 years, your muscle has renewed already twice, bones three times, a skin more than 500 times. Our body has been constantly renewing, but we don't know pace of this process and which tissues are with us from birth to death.
Differences between men and mice The case of blood is simple. We just need to take a blood transfusion and after few days take a sample to see how fast the cells are exchanged. Such studies have shown us that red cells live about three months. After that time they die and are replaced by new cells.
We know that similar process occurs in most body tissues. But what with muscle, bone and brain cells, how long they live? Case of animals is relatively simple. Animals get a marked radioactive nucleotides, which builds the DNA of living organism. They are included in the genetic material of cells. After some time, animals are killed and their tissues examined in order to check how many cells contain radioactive DNA fragments. In this way we can specify the number of cells that still alive from that moment.
This method is adequate for mice and cats but what about human beings? Results of test curried out on mice or even anthropoid cannot be directly compare to people because life expectancy and exchange rate of cells differs significantly. In addition, many animals have mechanism for the regeneration of the body, which man does not have. For example, rats can regenerate loss of nerve tissue. Knowledge of cell life span is not only scientific curiosity. Thanks to such information we can discover source of many diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes and cataract.
Q: What do you think about animal experiments? Could you sacrifice your body for scientific purposes?
The width of the peninsula varies from approximately 300 m. near Jurata, through 100 m in the most narrow part to over 3 km at the tip. Since the peninsula was formed entirely of sand, it is frequently turned into an island by winter storms. Until the 17th century the peninsula was a chain of islands that formed a strip of land only during the summer.
A road and a railroad run along the peninsula from the mainland to the town located at the furthest point, Hel, a popular tourist destination. Other towns, ports, and tourist resorts are Jurata, Jastarnia, Kuźnica, Chałupy, and Władysławowo.
OK, so now is your turn.. Please tell me something about best places for you… Do you know these places that I have already presented ? Do you agree with me, that these places are the best places in Poland? Maybe you know some other places better for you? What is so amazing in your places that are ones of the best parts of this world ? :)Maybe some foreign regions? I am waiting for your comments.. :)
Today I would like to present some facts about Słupsk, my home city J
Słupsk is a city in the northern part of Poland. Before January 1, 1999, it was the capital of the separate Słupsk Voivodeship. It is also a part of the historic region of Pomerania.
The city is located in the northwestern part of the country, 18 kilometres from the Baltic Sea, on the SłupiaRiver. It is the administrative seat of SłupskCounty, although it is not part of that county (the city has county status in its own right). It has a population of 100,000. The neighbouring administrative districts (gminas) are Gmina Kobylnica and Gmina Słupsk. There is ongoing discussion regarding extension of the city boundaries to include some territory belonging to those two gminas.
The city rights of Słupsk, probably given by Swantopolk II, the duke of Gdańsk (Danzig) in 1265, were extended in 1310 and confirmed in 1313 by the margraves of Brandenburg. By then, the town had become a centre of local administration and trade and a Hanseatic League associate. Between 1368 and 1478, it was the residence of the dukes of Pomerania-Stolp, a partition of the Duchy of Pomerania. In 1648 Słupsk were awarded to Brandenburg-Prussia and later formed the Province of Pomerania. The city became part of the People's Republic of Poland in 1945 and nearly the entire German population fled or was expelled and deported during and after 1945 and replaced by Poles from central Poland and the former Polish eastern provinces annexed by the Soviet Union or resettled in the town during the Operation Wisła of the People's Republic of Poland.
Słupsk has many green areas within its city limits. The chief of these are the Park of Culture and Leisure (Park Kultury i Wypoczynku), the Northern Wood (Lasek Północny) and the Southern Wood (Lasek Południowy). There are also smaller parks, squares and boulevards.
Słupsk-RedzikowoAirport is now defunct, however, it once worked as a regular passenger airport of local significance. Several plans to eventually reopen it failed because of lack of funds. This area will be used for the US missile defense complex
Słupsk has a developing economy based on a number of large factories. The footwear industry has been particularly successful in the region, expanding its exports to many countries.
The Scania commercial vehicles plant also plays a very significant role in Słupsk's economy, generating the highest revenue out of all companies currently based in Słupsk. Most of the buses currently manufactured there are exported to Western Europe.
Słupsk is my home city.. For me Słupsk is one of the most beautiful cities in Poland.. How about your home cities ? Do you like them? If you are not from Warsaw, do you want to back there in future? I am waiting for your comments.. :)
