Clipmarks | Socratoad's 'canada' clips

Were Antarctica and North America Once Connected?

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:13:33 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

The continual shifting of continents has led to the theories that, as in the cases of Pangaea and Rodinia, many, if not all of our continents, were at one time or another connected. One particular theory evolving from this is the SWEAT theory, standing for southwestern United States and East Antarctica, which theorizes that the southwestern United States was at one time connected to East Antarctica.

One of the rocks that they picked up turned out to be, later, a very specific form of granite with, as Goodge describes it, "a particular type of coarse-grained texture." Chemical and isotopic tests conducted by the team in laboratories in the US revealed the boulder to have a chemistry "very similar to a unique belt of igneous rocks in North America" that stretches from what is now California eastward through New Mexico to Kansas, Illinois and eventually through New Brunswick and Newfoundland in Canada.

Lowering Energy Consumption Better

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:37:33 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.treehugger.com

Lowering Energy Consumption Better Than Biofuels for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, OECD Report Finds

According to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, "Economic Assessment of Biofuel Support Policies", not only is public support of biofuels costly it has little impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions: All the tax incentives, blending targets and other public support policies in the EU, US, and Canada total $25 billion per year, but will ultimately result in less than a 1% reduction in emissions from transport by 2015.

Russia Becomes Major Uranium Supplier

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:02:52 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.energy-daily.com

Russia Becomes Major Uranium Supplier

Russia has overtaken Niger to become the world's fourth-largest uranium producer, after Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan. Russia received its new rating in 2007, when it produced 3,527 tons of uranium.

It has ambitious plans to move even further up the league, based on promising deposits in Eastern Siberia and other regions, and opportunities for mutually advantageous cooperation with countries rich in uranium ore.

Today the uranium market is very busy and full of optimism. It is characterized by a high level of monopolization -- three-quarters of all uranium is produced by five countries. Having placed its stake on nuclear energy, Russia has left itself no choice but to replenish its uranium reserves under a clear-cut and rational program.

Supermarkets Pimping Crap For Children

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:40:12 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

Nine out of ten regular food items aimed specifically at children have a poor nutritional content - because of high levels of sugar, fat or sodium - according to a detailed study of 367 products published in the July issue of the UK-based journal Obesity Reviews.

Just under 70 per cent of the products studied - which specifically excluded confectionery, soft drinks and bakery items - derived a high proportion of calories from sugar. Approximately one in five (23 per cent) had high fat levels and 17 per cent had high sodium levels. Despite this, 62 per cent of the foods with poor nutritional quality (PNQ) made positive claims about their nutritional value on the front of the packet.

"Children's foods can now be found in virtually every section of the supermarket and are available for every eating experience" says Professor Charlene Elliott from the University of Calgary, Canada, and a Trustee of the Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition.

A simply Horrendous Story ... but a Very Brave Couple

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:09:12 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.cbc.ca

'I asked God to help me ... get free': B.C. missionary attacked in Kenya

A Canadian couple who endured a vicious beating by men armed with machetes and clubs in Kenya said they will not let the terrifying experience deter them from their work with the poor.

John Bergen, 72, and his wife Eloise, 63, are recovering in a Nairobi hospital, after undergoing hours of surgery to treat the deep cuts on their faces and bodies and their many broken bones.

"We realize there's good and bad in Africa, just like there's good and bad in Canada," John Bergen told CBC News from his hospital bed on Friday. "We'll try to reach the bad as well as the good. What else can you do?"

The men then moved into the house, where Eloise was taking a bath, John said. He said the men ganged up on her, beating her and sexually assaulting her for 45 minutes to an hour. They then left her, covered in blood, with her hands tied behind her back.

MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES - Doctors Without Borders

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:29:30 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.med.uottawa.ca

A WORKING HISTORY OF MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES: THE CHANGING FACE OF HUMANITARIAN AID

Part I: The Formation and Development of Médecins Sans Frontières

Context and Development
The First Decade
Division
Expansion
Speaking Out
MSF in Canada
The Nobel Peace Prize
MSF in the Present

Lebanon 1976-1984
Afghanistan 1980-2004
Rwanda 1990-present
South Asia 2004-present
The Development of Fieldwork

Introduction

In an era where increasing medical specialization threatens losing sight of the whole patient, working as a health care provider through humanitarian aid is a striking alternative. This is health care at its broadest—dealing with essential primary care and addressing basic health needs for thousands. The challenges encountered by those working in humanitarian aid are quite different from those experienced by specialists and family practitioners in developed countries; for example, it is often necessary to overlook the individual patient in order to best serve the population.

U.S. deserter wins appeal in fight for refugee status

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:34:26 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.theglobeandmail.com

U.S. deserter wins appeal in fight for refugee status

The Immigration and Refugee Board was wrong when it decided that an American deserter couldn't claim refugee status in Canada because the military transgressions he was evading weren't severe enough to be war crimes or crimes against humanity, the Federal Court ruled yesterday.

The judgment lowers one of the bars that the recent wave of American deserters need to clear when they seek asylum in Canada.

It said that dodging orders that are "contrary to the basic rules or norms of human conduct" is enough grounds to apply for refugee protection.

"Military action which systematically degrades, abuses or humiliates either combatants or non-combatants is capable of supporting a refugee claim where that is the proven reason for refusing to serve," wrote Mr. Justice Robert Barnes, who is also a court-martial appellate judge.

Canadian woman's accent changes after stroke

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:17:14 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.ctv.ca

Canadian woman's accent changes after stroke

Doctors and scientists say they will continue to monitor an Ontario woman who developed an Atlantic Canadian accent after suffering a stroke.

Two years ago Dore, went to the hospital suffering from many common signs of a stroke. She suffered partial paralysis and she had trouble speaking.

Therapy has helped her deal with many of the stroke's initial effects -- but what has remained is one of the stroke's strangest outcomes: it left her with a Newfoundland accent.

That wouldn't be out of the ordinary, if she was from the province. But the 50-year-old Windsor, Ont. woman told doctors she had never visited the region and didn't have relatives there.

She had no idea why her southern Ontario accent had suddenly transformed into one more at home in Atlantic Canada.

"I can remember it happened from the very first day," Dore told CTV News. "As soon as I had the stroke, my voice changed."

Why Canada is the best haven from climate change

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:51:11 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: As might be expected, developed nations score best. Canada is top, followed by Ireland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The United Kingdom is in 12th position, just behind the US. The surprise in the top 20 is Uruguay, which is listed ninth, and the only well-placed nation not to be in the club of countries which are rich, or Western (and usually both).

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

Why Canada is the best haven from climate change

Independent Graphics

A group of islands with the potential to develop into a tourist paradise has been named as the country least equipped to withstand the effects of climate change.

The Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean, between Mozambique and Madagascar, are a small nation of sparkling blue lagoons and picture-postcard beaches. But the country is politically unstable and a report published today says it is the world's most vulnerable country to the future impacts of global warming such as increased storms, rising sea levels and agricultural failure.

At the other end of the scale, Canada is the best place to move to if you want to be a climate change survivor in the decades ahead (although Britain is also a good place to be as a warming atmosphere takes hold).

The age of scarcity

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:49:48 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The age of scarcity

The huge challenges of dwindling resources and climate change can only be met by a global New Deal

We are entering an age of scarcity - in food, water and energy. Rioting has broken out in dozens of countries as food prices spiral, driven upwards by the pressure on land to meet biofuels targets at the expense of food production. Meanwhile, the price of oil is rocketing and, as resources of carbon dwindle, arguments are breaking out over which economies should be allowed to emit greenhouse gases.

Scarcity, especially of carbon, will transform the nature and language of politics. According to the recent report of the intergovernmental group the Commission on Growth and Development, avoiding catastrophic climate change while still allowing poor countries the chance to grow their way out of poverty will require the US and Canada to reduce their per capita emissions from 20 tonnes per head to roughly two.

Taser death sparks Canada debate

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:00:13 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The use of a stun gun on a Polish immigrant was caught on camera

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are using stun guns too often and their use should be temporarily banned if levels are not curbed, a watchdog has said.

Its report, prompted by the death of a Polish immigrant stunned by police last year, said the guns should only be used against "combative" people.

It also recommended that officers seek immediate medical attention for people they shock with the devices.

There are an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 stun guns available to Canadian police.

Paul Kennedy, who led the review by the police force's watchdog, the Commission for Public Complaints (CPC), called for "a more conservative use" of stun guns, also known as Tasers.

Leaves keep their cool

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:33:09 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.nature.com

Leaves keep their cool

Whether growing in the heat of Puerto Rico or in the icy chill of northern Canada, tree leaves are able to buffer against the outside temperature, new research has found.

A survey of 39 North American tree species over an area spanning 50° of latitude has shown that plants protect one of their most important functions – photosynthesis – by maintaining average leaf temperatures at around 21 °C, regardless of the weather.

The findings, published this week in Nature ¹, could have implications for how scientists use tree rings to model past climates, and how they predict future responses to climate change.

Canada Goose

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:40:57 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.pbase.com

Canada Goose

FDA Alert

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:02:57 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: "On June 5, using traceback and other distribution pattern information, FDA published a list of states, territories, and countries where tomatoes are grown and harvested which have not been associated with this outbreak. This updated list includes: Arkansas, California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico. The list is available at www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html#retailers. This list will be updated as more information becomes available"

Clip Source: www.fda.gov

FDA Warns Consumers Nationwide Not to Eat Certain Types of Raw Red Tomatoes

The Food and Drug Administration is expanding its warning to consumers nationwide that a salmonellosis outbreak has been linked to consumption of certain raw red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes, and products containing these raw, red tomatoes.

FDA recommends that consumers not eat raw red Roma, raw red plum, raw red round tomatoes, or products that contain these types of raw red tomatoes unless the tomatoes are from the sources listed below. If unsure of where tomatoes are grown or harvested, consumers are encouraged to contact the store where the tomato purchase was made. Consumers should continue to eat cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, or tomatoes grown at home.

D-Day

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:54:05 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: June 6th 1944 - Sixty eight years ago today

Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on D-Day itself came from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Substantial Free French and Polish forces also participated in the battle after the assault phase, and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway.[6] Other Allied nations participated in the naval and air forces. - sixty eight years ago today.

Clip Source: encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com

The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord was the Allied invasion of Normandy, part of the Normandy Campaign. It began on June 6, 1944 (commonly known as D-Day), and is held to end on June 30, 1944, with Operation Cobra^[4]. As of 2007, Operation Overlord remains the largest seaborne invasion in history^[5], involving over 156,000 troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy^[1]. Operation Neptune''' was the codename given to the initial naval assault phase of Operation Overlord; its mission, to gain a foothold on the continent.