With flourishing economy in Africa, and the vision of young people for transfer to democracy and a better life, innovation in music, fashion and art are gradually penetrating and diffusing in the unique cultural mosaic of the growing Africa. An example is the Ethiopian music that combines different cultural and emotional backgrounds, a needed positive energy for fueling the populations towards the new future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWHsPbnBhLw&feature=youtu.be
Climate Change and the expected impacts of Global Warming on global water resources will have pronounced effects worldwide in the 21st century. To see any change some references must be used and in this case as explained here the 20th century will be used reference for comparison. Among key processes in the global water cycle that are undergoing dramatic changes in dynamics and rates are: evapotranspiration; soil moisture; surface water flow and ground water levels. Changes in the dynamics and rates of these processes will have direct and indirect effects on the vegetation cover, forest, agriculture and farming as well as remarkable impacts on the global water supply with feedback effects on agriculture, industry and basic human need including drinking water .
http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/hydrosphere/future_geographies_water_resources.html
Even silence can be beautiful!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yvqz3fv9uaxwpc5/2014-01-02%2011.48.54.jpg
Social-networking is an ever expanding activity even for scientific researchers. ResearchGate is an emerging social-media platform for researchers where about 3 million researchers from around the world, including 5 of them this year’s Nobel Laureates, are sharing scientific publications, experiences and enjoying discussions. It can be a supplemenary instrument to get free-access to literature and “knowledge”. It is, in its way to establish itself in the increasing virtual space and landscape of social-networking.
http://www.researchgate.net/
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Walls, in this case “geo-political” and “geo-economic” walls, are built for some reasons, raised and kept in place by some powers. However, with time they get gradually eroded. In this process of erosion, it is not if they will collapse or not but rather when the final collapse will be a reality. The collapse of huge “geo-political” and “geo-economic” walls is not of a small-scale and an over-night process. In any case, the suffering from the collapse has enormous large-scale and long-term impacts as the generated collapse and ruins shake and hits multiple of populations across many borders and for many years. Germany is an example of what “geo-political” walls can bring to populations and how the ruins after disastrous wars, raising and falling walls can be restored. In this context, “geo-economic” walls are not exceptions in history and what is happening in the MENA region is just a playback of history.
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(1) Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) generates knowledge and informs decision-making for water wise policy: governance, transboundary management, climate change, water-energy-food nexus, & water economics: http://www.siwi.org/
Mercury is among toxic pollutants with harmful effects on humans. Mercury in aquatic eco-systems originate from atmospheric pollution and ends up in aquatic systems where fish get exposed to different levels of mercury concentrations in water. Direct injections of pollutants, involving other types, can occur also from agriculture, industry and household. Here are simple facts on mercury pollution in aquatic systems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRqAS4Eow-c&feature=youtu.be
In the next video we are demostrating how pollution gradually degraded the water quality in natural aquatic systems making then of less recreation and economic value. Water quality monitoring, assessment and regulations are essential management instruments for protection and preservation of natural waters against all types of pollution. Protection of air and water qualities have feedback effetcs on health of humans and safety of the environment, they are also imperative for achieving sustainable socio-economic developments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T53IeowjRCc&feature=youtu.be
Cairo was among the most beautiful cities in the Mediterranean region, and also Europe, in the 1920’s.
Many pollutants are injected to the atmosphere and may have long-distant trajectories around the globe, e.g. particulate matter (PM), green-house gases (GHG), acidic oxides (sulphur and nitrogen), , volatile organic compounds (VOC), persistent organic pollutants or “polychlorinated biphenyls” PCBs, ozone, heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, …. ), radioactive pollutants. In addition to degradation of air-quality as is the case in big cities and heavily populated regions, the major part of these pollutants get washed out by rain and join the hydrosphere and thereby enter the aquatic systems, e.g. oceans, seas, rivers, lakes.
Faroe Islands have long old whaling tradition, pilot whales, and whaling is part of people’s culture and among the main sources of food. However, pilot whales have low levels of mercury and PCBs toxics. It is well known that mercury in high doses could cause severe brain damage, however at low or smaller doses over a long period of time can also cause damage to the body. 2000 children were tested for the effects of chronic low level mercury exposure. It has been found that such exposure affects baby’s brain causing deficits in development and feedback impacts on regulations of the heart.
Pilot whales have long-life span and by being highest up in the food chain, they also feed on other fish, they accumulate many pollutants PCBs and metal mercury and thereby whale meat carry toxic compounds. In this context, these small North Atlantic islands grapple with how to maintain a centuries-old tradition in the face of modern environmental and political circumstances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hfWLorQ4gs&feature=youtu.be
The “Arab Spring”, as is the cases for “Global Warming”, are strong signals that “Globalization” is facing further difficulties with negative feed-back on stability. This might not be obvious in the short-term, especially if what is happing in the MENA region and other emerging ethnic-conflicts in Africa are ignored.
Check valuable “LINKS” for infomation and data-bases on publications and conferences within relevant science, technology and literature platforms for journals with “Open Access” and “free down-loads”.
In this context your are invited to visit, share and contribute:
From generation to generation, from country to country, from disaster to disaster, from suffering to suffering, …… We hear deep cries from humanity that never stop, that only pile-up with strong echos “Imagine” and “I Have a Dream”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epi7USIi-po&feature=youtu.be
Evolution of the global bio-diversity and the social life in natural eco-systems around us has long-standing histories. Yet our knowledge is not complete and many secrets remain to be mostly unknown.
Sperm whales are the most hunted species, then for generations it took a great many men to kill few whales but the technology has now reversed the problem. The problem before was to find sperm whales and kill them, but the problem now is to find how many sperm whales than can be killed without endangering the species. In a world full of hunger production doesn’t slow down for science, the only means to find out the proper answers. The ultimate fate of the whales and the industry depends on the accuracy of science to shape sustainable management policies in an ever-increasing complexity and fragmentation of “industry-society” sectors.
Sperm whales have the largest brain of any animal and probably dive deeper than many other mammals. We know little about why they sing, we even don’t know how, how much they sleep and even if they need to sleep at all. They have complex social life of which we know very little about.
Biologists collect much raw material for the construction of their re-productive cycle. In which, the age of the whales are key component to follow the biology and ecology of whale populations. Sperm whale carries its life calendar in their teeth. Teeth, in this context, are true age-indicators of the whales as they consist of alternating “drack-light” layers. When the age is known, it is then correlated with other information from the soft parts of whales and by computer simulation (size, range and reproductive capacity for various whale populations) knowledge on, how many whales can be safely harvested, can be gained. Biologists make the statistics but the whaling industry take care of the rest.
In a separate “POST” we will tell more about the threats facing “pilot whales”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0azqjk8Wgw&feature=youtu.be
I came a cross an old whaling film (in two parts) aboard U.S. ship “The Viola” from 1916 describing the hard working condition during the early years of the growing industrialization. The ships used for whaling were built even earlier, i.e. around 1850 or so. The whaling work required too much work, labor and the tools and techniques used at that time were simple or even primitive as judged by current western standards. However, these were the conditions and what was available at that time. This in addition to too long fishing journeys for little outcome; this is how people worked hard for getting their food and income at that time. All modern industrial technologies, including film-industry and ICT-based machinery that replaced difficult, ineffective and time-consuming man-power were gained mostly after WW-II, i.e. the later part of 1900. However, human struggle to get enough, affordable and healthy food will never end as there are always new pressures, threats and challenges. Education and research are always needed for better conservation and management policies.
(Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWA4HDFASAo&feature=youtu.be
(Part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_qebW9vLzI&feature=youtu.be
تعلمنا ان التعليم يربط الأسره بالمجتمع و يحث علي توجيه عواطف الحب لمراعاه الطفولة و المشاركه في بني المجتمع
Humans are adapted for life on land only, we wouldn’t survive in water more than few minutes. Yet without life in aquatic systems, seas, rivers and lakes, many of us wouldn’t be a life at all and even vanished away longtime ago. But do we understand the secrets of life in fresh, brackish and marine water systems, from where fish (small and big) get their food, do fish drink water, if so how do food-chains look like in aquatic systems, does life exist in surface sediments. Do fish sleep, and while swimming how do fish navigate between stones, corals, identify there way, survive the dark environments in deep regions and at nights? Do fish get sick, have diseases and eventually die, if so why and how?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R5T9xEiOT0&feature=youtu.be
Please, keep track on the up-dates of the forthcoming Conference “Towards 100% Renewables and Sustainable Communities For Africa”. AREA – Egypt Conference, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, April 27-30, 2014.
Victoria Falls is one the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. The wildlife and biodiversity of Zambezi River, feeding this spectacular waterfall, are unique in many aspects, i.e. unlike the other most famous waterfalls around the world.
However, what is the perception of a local fisherman, after being fishing for 69 years in the river, of wildlife and what does water and rain mean for the population and the animals in this enormous eco-system and life-factory.
Our understanding of the natural resources and life in rural Africa, and the habits, culture and needs of the local inhabitants is crucial for shaping future sustainability policies and for integrating rural regions with the increasing trends of urbanization in Africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RKFqqwhtGs&feature=youtu.be
The increasing consumption of, and competition on, natural resources, in particular Water-Energy resources “WE-resources” is introducing new long-term and large-scale impacts on the sustainability of natural eco-systems and quality of life with major feedbacks socio-economic developments. Without credible environmental, social impact assessments and early-warning instruments, environmental compliance systems, rehabilitation measures and solid management policies can not be established whenever necessary. Impacts of large-scale manipulations of major river systems, as in this case, have rather slowly and unpredicted impacts on the environment and ecosystems. In addition, there are different regional consequence on re-location of population, water hydrology, farming and forests. Since the industrial revolution, and because of the ongoing globalization, there had been an accelerating consumption of energy and water resources. Currently, there are major threats, in some critical regions, resulting from transformations in energy policies, global warming, pollution and waste from industrial sectors as well as increasing consumption of natural resources.
