Yemen: More Than a Global Security Threat
April 30, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Why is the U.S. pledging to back a foreign military whose special operations forces have been accused of egregious human rights abuses?
Earlier this month, the U.S. promised to help the Yemeni military beef up its special operations forces. The Pentagon has been offering Yemeni security forces handouts all year: In February, for example, the Pentagon appropriated $150 million in military assistance for Yemen — an $83 million dollar increase over the previous year. Unfortunately, very little was offered to explain what would become of such a large chunk of change. (All that in addition to the Obama administration’s recent decision to sanction the targeting of Anwar Al-Awlaki, an American cleric residing in Yemen. )
Such funds, it’s been reported, are intended to help the country target Al Qaeda. But we’re talking about Yemen here, a country that ranks 111th on the 2009 U.N. Human Poverty Index. It’s a country that’s received far less U.S. aid than most in the region. When it comes to Yemen, it seems the U.S. sees little more than a security threat.
This Plastic World: Recycled Island Made of Old Bottles
April 30, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Delana in Art & Design, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Most of us have heard by now of the floating island of plastic trash in the Pacific Ocean, sometimes called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. While other oceans have similar islands of plastic garbage, the Pacific island has been widely publicized as a prime example of our overconsumption of plastics and our poor methods of dealing with plastic waste. Dutch architects WHIM Architecture would like to put a more positive spin on the plastic island by making it into the first habitable ocean-bound floating garbage heap ever.
There have been plenty of ideas lately about farming and populating the oceans, but this appears to be one of the most ambitious ones. Its possibility would depend largely on how effectively an artificial island could be built of plastic, and just how permanent that island would be. Whether it would hold the weight of a population and its crops – not to mention having some sort of safety measures in place for when storms hit – is still a mystery. Nonetheless, it will be fascinating to see this and other seasteading ideas develop as architects and designers continue to look toward the vast oceans as our future habitat.
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Day 3 Highlights - 2010 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
April 29, 2010 by · View Comments
The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship (www.skollworldforum.com) accelerates the impact of the worlds leading social entrepreneurs by uniting them with essential partners in a collaborative pursuit of learning, leverage and large scale social change. This year focuses on catalysing collaboration for large scale change. This marks the final day of the Skoll World Forum, for complete coverage including archived podcasts, videos and more please visit www.skollworldforum.com
65 Red Roses for You, Eva
April 29, 2010 by admin · View Comments
Eva Markvoort, a beautiful, vivacious 25-year-old woman with dyed ruby-red hair from Vancouver, wrote a popular blog by the name of 65 Red Roses. Contrary to what you might think, the blog wasn’t about gardening: the title was her childhood mispronounciation of the disease she suffered from throughout her life, cystic fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a hereditary disease caused by a gene mutation, and can cause extreme difficulty breathing, sinus infections, and many other painful side effects. It affects about one in every 2,000 people. Although CF can often be managed by medications and medical treatments, most people who suffer from the disease live in frequent discomfort, and often die in their 20s or 30s.
Although Eva spent much of her life in the hospital, kept away from other patients because of the risk of infection, she was a constant presence in the lives of friends and strangers alike through her blog. She began posting on her blog in 2006, and began connecting with CF patients around the world through her writing. Soon, her blog drew an even larger audience, and she used it as a platform to show the world what it was like living with CF. It’s now reached over a million readers.
Despite the pain the disease caused her, Eva felt constantly blessed. She loved her family, her friends, and the readers who embraced her. Nearly every day, she’d post messages sharing her happiness for all the ordinary moments of life that so many of us take for granted, as well as her fear and frustration in coping with her disease.
In 2007, a group of filmmakers took an interest in Eva’s blog, and created a documentary movie of her life, also called 65 Red Roses, in which Eva allowed to see the harsh realities of CF like frequent coughing, vomiting, and month-long hospital stays. The film had a happy ending: Eva, who had been progressively sicker over the course of the shoot, got the double lung transplant she had been waiting for. She would be able to breathe again.
Sadly, things eventually took a turn for the worse, and her body began to reject the new lungs. In January, Eva uploaded a YouTube video to her blog: “I have some news today. It’s kinda tough to hear, but I can say it with a smile,” she said. “My life is ending.”
But Eva had none of the self-pity that you would expect from someone who’d been handed a death sentence at such a young age. “I think I’m very lucky, because I’ve loved more than you could possibly think, could possibly imagine,” she said. “So I’m celebrating that: celebrating my life.”
Eva passed away on March 27th, but before her death, she was honored with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s prestigious Doug Summerhayes Award for her work raising awareness of the disease through her blog and documentary. She was also awarded a college diploma from the University of Victoria, which she had fallen a few credits short of graduating because of her constant illnesses. But neither of these honors meant as much to her as her “wall of love”: the thousands of letters, pictures, and gifts she received from her supporters around the planet, many of whom suffered from CF themselves.
Beth
20 Amazing Futuristic Hydrogen Vehicle Design Concepts
April 29, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Angie in Art & Design, Energy & Fuel, Technology & Gadgets, Transit & Auto. ]
Hydrogen vehicles are the future and provide one of the ways to stop using fossil fuels. This therefore cuts down on greenhouse gases that produce global warming. These 20 futuristic hydrogen vehicle concept designs are some the coolest concept designs that we’d like to see rolling down the highway soon.
Ronn Motors Scorpion Roadster
(image credits: autoblog)
This is Scorpion, a hydrogen car prototype by Ronn Motor Company. This V6-powered, hydrogen-injected roadster, comes in two flavors “450 or 650 horsepower.” Scorpion is equipped with the company’s proprietary H2GO hydrogen injection system. This slick looking ride weighs about 2,200 pounds, so Ronn Motor estimates fuel mileage at around 40 miles-per-gallon. The company intends to hone the prototype, but look for this supercar being available in the not-too-distant future.
Volkswagen Splinter
(image credits: ecofriend)
The Smart Fortwo is a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered, zero-emission concept car for Volkswagen. The little two-seater car should be able to squeeze into tight parking spaces. However, the large tires with no mud guards might make driving in the rain a total nightmare.
BlitzenBenz
(image credits: tuvie)
BlitzenBenz concept racing car will respond like human bodies react with the human nerve system. Designer George Yoo created the horizontal tubes to visually look and act like a vase where plants grow. The wheels are secured to the organic structure with in-wheel motors that will open like a plant blossoms to receive sunlight or water. The lighting idea was inspired by bioluminescent deep sea creatures. The hydrogen tank is located in the side pocket of the car to give the visual impression of recycling water throughout the entire vehicle.
Pholeum
(image credit: amv-design)
Pholeum transportation unit concept vehicle is based on the living cell tissue structure of a plant that can carry organic nutrients to any part of the plant where required. Big rubber wheels contain quad electric motors empowered with efficient next generation hydrogen fuel cell technology. Designer Alexei Mikhailov intends for Pholeum to have a composition of memory plastic body work that, if dented or scratched, will go back to its original shape under application of heat.
Volkswagen CitiZen
(image credits: nganu)
The Volkswagen Citizen Tarelkin by Designer Denis A. is a concept car designed specifically for cities that wish to get rid of some drawbacks encountered in urban settings such as congestion, pollution and noise. The car is equipped with electric motors devised to operate with a hybrid propulsion system, batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. The small wheels hidden underneath the vehicle’s aerodynamic shape are able to rotate 180 degrees.
Dacia SHIFT
(image credit: Liviu Tudoran)
The Dacia SHIFT concept car is a two seater with a transparent removable roof. Designer Liviu Tudoran created Dacia SHIFT specifically for the needs of young Bucharest residents. The power source can either be a lithium-ion battery or electric piles that run by liquid hydrogen.
Mercedes Benz F-Cell Roadster
(image credit: tuvie)
Mercedes F-CELL is a concept hydrogen-powered buggy roadster. The body is fiberglass and carbon fiber. It is powered by a hydrogen-electric, emission-free, fuel cell system located at the rear. If the big-spoked bicycle type wheels don’t snag attention, then steering with a joystick surely will. The joystick controls drive-by-wire technology. Additionally, the F-CELL Roadster is supposed to contain all the technologies that top of the line Mercedes cars have.
Renault-Vitesse
(image credit: ecofriend)
Renault Vitesse by designer James Logan is a hydrogen fuel cell powered concept car. Since the car is intended for intelligent highways of the late 2020 era, the Vitesse will connect to computers controlling the highway and receive information regarding road hazards. Then the information will pass on to other highway drivers to enable them to take proper evasive action. Vitesse is made from lightweight hybrid plastic. A unique bike mountings at the rear end will eliminate any need of roof racks.
RT20
(image credit: diseno-art)
The adaptable and reconfigurable RT20 concept car was designed by Mathieu Lewis to be at home on both the road and the race track. The RT20 powertrain is a liquid hydrogen fueled twin-turbo V6. This will provide the power and the noise that driving enthusiasts want and need.
BMW HR2 Hybrid Car
(image credit: tech-review-foru)
The BMW HR2 hybrid car performs with an output of 285 hp and with a top speed on 185 mph. Acceleration from zero to 60 mph takes approximately six seconds. According to BMW, “BMW will launch a dual-mode version of the current 7 Series during the production cycle of the present model, thus introducing the first car of its kind able to run on both hydrogen and gasoline.”
Melbourne Taxi 2020
(image credits: tuvie)
Melbourne Taxi 2020 design concept utilizes an electric Taxi vehicle and supported infrastructure with recharging booths placed at vital points around the city. The taxi’s high-tech features are GPS and mapping systems for passengers and driver, a Smart card system, passenger info and entertainment hub. The green features include a hydrogen fuel cell, a solar panel system including recharging hubs and battery generators. Designer Damian Lucaciu also tackled the problem of accessibility. All rear compartment seats tuck away, opening up maximum floor room for wheelchair access.
The Baja 1000 Buggy
(image credit: diseno-art)
Designer Dong Tran designed the Baja 1000 Buggy concept to use solar cells infused into the body shell. This helps charge the all electric drivetrain. The powersource is a hydrogen fuel cell. The tires are completely airless and feature LEDs lights on the tread. The Baja 1000 Buggy was a winner of the 2009 Michelin Challenge Design competition. It won in both the vehicle design and wheel design categories.
Hyundai 2020 Family Car
(image credit: softpedia)
Designer Nicolas Stone has come up with a new family car. The Hyundai 2020 is aimed at a family of four. Inspired by plants, the car generates fuel for itself using nothing more than sunlight and water. Transparent solar cells generate electricity from ambient light. This electricity is used to carry out electrolysis of water and generate hydrogen to fuel the car.
‘Ozone’ Hydrogen Powered Vehicle
(image credit: flygadgethouse)
Futuristic concept vehicle ‘Ozone’ works on hydrogen powered fuel cells. The two seater has giant wheels controlled by separate motors and powered by fuel cells. ‘Ozone’ is steered with a joystick. Huge glass side doors slide open to enter and exit this vehicle. It might be trippy to sit inside the semi transparent glass casing and roll down the highway.
Jaguar C-XC
(image credit: flylyf)
The Jaguar C-XC concept by designer Phillip Dean is powered by hydrogen fuel cells which are mounted in the hood. A single piece of glass stretches from the hood to the rear, acting as hood, windscreen, roof, and rear window. Aerodynamics are improved by means of covered wheels and a touching of glass on the body. The Jaguar C-XC might prove to be a mean, lean, road warrior machine.
Audi A0 QS
(image credits: tuvie)
Audi A0 QS by designer Alexander Tiganova was “designed for athletes and rich people to enhance their active lifestyles.” This small and dynamic sports car is a hybrid, equipped with an electric motor and a hydrogen engine. Rubber fabric on the doors help them to appear transparent. Keeping in mind for whom it was designed, expect the price tag to be out of reach for mere mortals.
ZIV
(image credits: Christopher Latta)
Christopher Latta designed the two-seater ZIV, or Zero Impact Vehicle concept, to offer a greener lifestyle for the busy urban environment by using recycled or reclaimed materials only. It is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that generates water as the final mechanical waste and can be collected in a holding tank for later use. “The motionless rim design makes the vehicle unique where the tire travels around the rim by utilizing maglev train like magnets that controls all propulsion and braking functions.”
Landstorm Concept Vehicle
(image credit: ps-designfolio)
The Landstorm concept vehicle was created for 2058. Designer Peter Spriggs intends Landstorm to be needed “when airborne vehicles will not be effective to reach a particular area because of frequent natural disasters as a result of future global warming.” These pods have been designed for scouting missions, for food and water transportation to a disaster affected area, and for use as medical pods that can treat two patients simultaneously. The excavation pods can work as robust cranes to remove large pieces of wreckage. As a fire rescue pod, the tank can hold 750 gallons of water and can drain water from lakes with outboard pumps. A hydraulic drive-train is attached with several powerful electric motors and powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Vayro
(image credit: A.K. Muthui)
The Vayro is a future track concept to meet the increasing freight requirement of long-distance road haulage for the year 2020. The truck is powered by a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine. Vayro features a power-split transmission that transmits the power electrically through an electric generator. Desginer Kioko Muthui created Vayro to have an overall length of 123 feet that can carry a gross of 182,000 pounds.
Renault E0
(image credits: tuvie)
Liviu Tudoran designed the Renault E0, Emission ZERO, with two different platforms. One contains an electric charging mechanism and the other includes electric combustion piles fueled by liquid hydrogen. Aluminum is the main body component of this four-seater concept car. The battery is charged by a solar panel whenever possible.
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What the Rise of Brand America Means
April 28, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
It seems that nothing’s immune from the horse race these days. Including America’s reputation: are we up, or are we down?
Well, for those of you keeping score, a recent BBC poll showing that people in other countries increasingly see the U.S. positively should have the development community counting its stars.
There’s plenty of room for speculation over what this poll means. According to the BBC, for the first time since 2005 (when the poll began), “America’s influence in the world is now seen as more positive than negative.” But while many of us have been waiting for this day since America’s reputation first took a nose-dive, what is the real significance here?
For groups working to combat global poverty, it’s an important milestone. It’s hard to work in communities that overwhelmingly distrust or dislike you. The news that U.S. is no longer seen with overriding skepticism might seem like a small thing to celebrate, but it means that some countries that have viewed us with doubt could become future partners. Work to alleviate poverty can amplify this positive feedback loop, helping strengthen new and lasting relationships.
AidVenture! A social microlending application for Facebook
April 27, 2010 by · View Comments
AidVenture is an exciting new project, allowing anyone in the world with a Facebook account to participate in microlending, and help the world’s poorest people. Watch the video, then come to Facebook to take a look! Part of the 2010 Microsoft Imagine Cup.
Microfinance as a Platform
April 27, 2010 by · View Comments
Alex Counts, President of the Grameen Foundation talks to iinnovate about how microfinance is a platform - not just financial information but also leveraging the relationship with the poor. For more information check out www.iinnovatecast.com.
Well Red: 10 Amazing Red Animals
April 27, 2010 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series, Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Red Bugs
Ladybugs (also called Ladybird beetles) and Lily Beetles are the most common red insects, though Ladybugs are usually spotted to some degree while Lily Beetles are not. Contrary to rumor, red beetles are NOT ground into cochineal dye – this brilliant red dye was discovered by the Aztecs and comes from a dull grayish scale insect that lives on prickly pear cacti.
The Scarlet Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) is only 5 mm or 1/5 of an inch long but really stands out thanks to the bright crimson hue of its exoskeleton. Beautiful as they are, Lily Beetles are the bane of gardeners who dread seeing an infestation of them on their lily plants.
Red Spiders
(images via: BugGuide, SouthernBelladonna and Belmont16Footers)
There aren’t all that many red spiders, possibly because they are for the most part ambush predators who need to remain unseen until it’s to late for their prey to escape. Even so, red spiders exist and their devilish hue makes them look, if anything, even more creepy.
(images via: Surebaby and Luns_Spluctrum)
Though only part of it is red, the infamous Black Widow Spider warns us of its potentially fatal bite by showing off the eerie red hourglass marking on its back. It shares this trait with the equally fearsome Redback and Funnel Web spiders of Australia, which is nice… until one gets bitten.
Red Sea Stars
(images via: English Cari, Chaitt and King County)
Scientists would prefer we forget the name “Starfish” and refer to these marine echinoderms as Sea Stars, as they are not fish. They also don’t always have just 5 arms (though that does seem to be the minimum number) and can have as many as 40! As for color, well, pretty much anything goes. Red looks good on Starf, er, Sea Stars as it helps divers distinguish them among the other colorful sea creatures inhabiting the world’s coral reefs.
(image via: Egypt Tour Info)
Sea Stars are odd animals, at least compared to humans. Anatomically, they have neither blood nor brains. They have the ability to regenerate lost arms and can live up to 35 years in the wild.
Red Humboldt Squid
(images via: Sign On San Diego, Internet Pets, Underwater Times and Centrifugaldeforest)
These large cephalopods are known colloquially as “Red Devils”, both for their fire-engine red coloration and their feisty attitude… they’ve been known to attack divers and sometimes try to rip off their masks! This is no small matter as the creatures can grow up to 7 feet long, and typically rip their prey apart using their parrot-like beak and suckers on their arms lined with needle-sharp teeth.
(image via: Michael Caruso)
If you though Sea Stars were strange, get a load of the Humboldt Squid: 3 hearts, blue blood based on copper instead of iron, and a unique method of communication using bioluminescent photophores in their skin.
Red Fish
One fish, two fish, red fish… Angler Fish! The hellish deep-sea denizen above is one of several benthic species that are tinged red. Shallow-water fish also display bright red color that really stands out, even in sunlight filtered through pale blue-green seawater. It’s recently been noted that a variety of fish emit red fluorescent light, ostensibly to ease recognition from other members of their species.
(image via: UW PhotographyGuide)
The Frogfish has been called the ocean’s ugliest fish, but this small vermillion juvenile doesn’t look all that bad. They’re also famed for their strange method of navigating the seafloor, an activity akin to walking. Here’s a video of a hairy frogfish and his pal out for a stroll, expertly filmed on location in Indonesia by Daan van Wijk:
Walking Frogfish, via Daan van Wijk
Red-spotted Newts
(images via: LiveScience)
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The Red-spotted Newt is commonly found in wet forested areas of eastern North America, though only one life stage of the amphibian is actually red: the terrestrial “red eft”. Both the gilled larval stage and the air-breathing (though water-dwelling) adult stages of this curious creature are mainly a dull greenish brown in color.
(image via: Marietta.edu)
Red-spotted Newts are small animals growing up to just 5 inches in length, but they are surprisingly long-lived: up to 15 years! A fun fact about these salamander-like amphibians is that their skin secretes a noxious substance when they are attacked or otherwise threatened.
Red Poison Dart Frogs
(images via: SC Guide, Mike Bastin and Artur_A)
A host of very small tropical tree frogs, known collectively as “poison dart frogs”, are brilliant red in color, in whole or in part. Like their brightly colored cousins of other hues, red poison dart frogs are small but they pack a powerful punch to those who would try and mess with them. Early human inhabitants of the rainforest learned this lesson the hard way but were then able to benefit by applying the poison to the tips of their arrows, spears and blowgun darts.
(image via: Trescott)
The Red Frog Beach project in Bocas Del Toro, Panama, seems to have adopted the spotted red poison dart frog above as its mascot, of sorts. The project, at present undr construction, is to be a world class eco-tourism destination featuring resort-style amenities and a marina, all on the Caribbean island of Bastimentos. Let’s hope the native red frogs, who were there first, won’t suffer any negative impact from the resort and its future guests.
Red Snakes
(images via: RDodson, DotPhoto and Wild Adventures)
There are a number of snakes that are red to some degree, though only a few are red enough to have the color incorporated into their name. Some examples include the Red Coachwhip, Red Racer and English Red snakes, as seen clockwise from above top.
(images via: Al Wab and Ben Yang)
Red snakes like the Corn Snake are common in the continental United States and make popular pets. One color variation breeders have managed to propagate is the Blood Red type, in which the naturally red areas of the snake are exaggerated in relation to the other colors. Below the Blood Red Corn Snake at above top is a Red Bamboo Snake.
Scarlet Ibis
(images via: The Gaber, Ricardo Vandijk and Jardins)
The strikingly colored Scarlet Ibis inhabits the islands and southern shores of the Caribbean Sea, and inland regions of tropical South America. Except for their downwardly curved beaks and the black tips of their wings, these relatively large, tree-nesting birds are typically bright red from head to toe.
(image via: Guenter Leitenbauer)
Surprisingly, the Scarlet Ibis is not born red and if deprived of its favored food – red crabs – it will remain gray and white as it matures. In its natural habitat, the birds metabolize the red pigment from the crabs they eat and incorporate the pigment into their feathers.
Red Sheep
(images via: BBC and Dark Roasted Blend)
“Ahh-OOH, red sheep of Scotland…” Drivers along the M8 highway near Edinburgh, West Lothian, have enough to worry about without the added distraction of seeing a flock of crimson sheep grazing the hills alongside the roadway. Let’s just hope they don’t start counting them while driving by – there are 54, to save everyone the trouble.
(image via: Too Hot Pics)
Why spray-paint sheep red? “They are causing quite a stir with passers-by,” according to farmer Andrew Jack, who further explained “It is a bit of fun and it does brighten things up.” Aye, so it do!
(image via: Ecorazzi)
Said Craig Chalmers of nearby Pyramids Business Park in response to questions raised about the safety of tinting sheep, “The dyes are obviously animal friendly and we are now considering replacing them with pink sheep when these ones have their coats sheared.” Dunno about you, but we think this is a really baa-d move.
(image via: Inutopia)
Seeing red yet? If so, you could be this guy – a one-man crimson tide last seen at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The so-called Red Man isn’t just one of a kind… he’s one in vermillion.
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The World Bank Share Shuffle: China Wins, Africa Loses
April 27, 2010 by admin · View Comments
Signs of China’s growing global influence are everywhere these days. The most recent signal of this power shift comes in the form of China’s increased say in the World Bank, long a symbol of Western power. China now has the third-highest voting share in the institution after the United States and Japan, placing it ahead of traditionally big players such as the U.K., France and Germany.
Not surprisingly, Chinese officials such as Finance Minister Xie Xuren are pleased with the decision: “It is the first time in the history of the World Bank that a reform of governance structure is mainly targeted at promoting representation and voices of developing countries,” says Xuren.
China may have been a clear winner in the recent World Bank reform, but there are plenty of countries that are disappointed with the way things turned out. South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, for example, criticized the outcome by noting that both South Africa and Nigeria’s voting shares have decreased as the result. “We strongly believe that more should have been done to prevent such dilutions,” he said.
Oxfam, an NGO that campaigns against global poverty and injustice, likewise accused the World Bank of failing to protect the voices of the poorest countries. As the NGO noted, out of 47 sub-Saharan African countries, the voting share of over one-third has decreased or stayed the same. Only one country’s voting share — Sudan’s — has actually grown.
On the other hand, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner hailed the new shareholding formula as “more representative” — a laughable statement, given that his country retains a whopping 15.85% of the voting share, which effectively gives it veto power. (For a decision to be approved in the bank, it needs to have an 85% vote.)
